Lost in Outer Space: The Incredible Journey of Apollo 13

Lost #2

by Tod Olson

This exciting second book in the Lost series tells the incredible true story of the doomed Apollo 13 moon mission that nearly ended in disaster. April 13, 1970: Two hundred thousand miles from Earth and counting, an explosion rips through Jim Lovell's spacecraft. The crippled ship hurtles toward the moon at three times the speed of sound, losing power and leaking oxygen into space.Lovell and his crew were two days from the dream of a lifetime - walking on the surface of moon. Now, they will count themselves lucky to set foot on Earth again.From "Houston, we've had a problem" to the final tense moments at Mission Control, Lost in Outer Space takes readers on the unbelievable journey of Apollo 13 and inside the minds of its famous and heroic astronauts. Complete with photographs of the crew and diagrams of the spacecraft, this is an up-close-and-personal look at one of the most thrilling survival stories of all time.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Middle Grade, Space, Adventure, Science, Childrens

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 31, 2017

About the author

Tod Olson is author of the historical fiction series HOW TO GET RICH, a Booklist Top Ten Series Non Fiction for Youth selection (don't tell them, but it's fiction). The first two books in his narrative nonfiction series, LOST, are now available. Tod lives with his family in Vermont and holds an MFA from Vermont College of the Fine Arts.

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great book because I have read the other series of Lost which occurred in WWII when a plane crashed in the pacific ocean and they had to survive in the ocean. In Lost in outer space, it's basically finding a way to get back to Earth with a broken spaceship. A space crew was going on a mission to land and walk on the moon but they had a few difficulties but those difficulties turned into life changing situation when something happened to their engine and slowly loosing fuel, hydrogen, parts of their ship, and the most important, oxygen. I believe this is a great book because it talks about survival and pushing their very limits to get back to Earth or die trying.

[Ethan]

lost in outer space is a good book it's about a rocket that goes into space and then falls apart. it is a true story about apollo 13 and the book tells you a lot about the rocket.

[Beth Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptionally told true story of the Apollo 13 space mission. I love this series for the way that it brings nonfiction to life for kids through primary source data via interviews, photographs, and maps. My kids and the kids in my lit class flew through this one.

[Petr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krátké, ale výstižné.

[Kelly Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to audiobook with my 7 year old on a long car ride. We both liked it. Very informative and also portrays feelings of astronaut’s family.

[Aaron.W · Rating 5 out of 5]

really liked this book because it moves along pretty fast. A piece of advice if you read it don't skip the prologue or the epilogue.

[Aadi O · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of this book is don't give up because the Apollo 13 team had a failure and the chances of them getting back was really low but they got back safely.

[charlotte_reads_reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it. Very interesting.

I didn’t grow up with the space race or anything but I have watched Apollo 13&First man and loved them.
For anyone who loves space and stuff I recommend looking at the NASA website.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book about Apollo 13 space mission. it gives a lot of information about what the astronauts, mission control and their families went through to get the astronauts safely home.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read other books about the Apollo 13 disaster as well as the movie so I had some background when I picked up this story. Once again, Olson does a great job of telling the story. It can be difficult sometimes telling a complicated story like this one in such a way that children can understand it. The Apollo 13 disaster makes a fascinating, compelling account, but it can also be very technical. It would have been easy to fall into that problem, but Olson does not, he explains things correctly without getting lost in technical jargon. I also appreciated the inclusion of some of the experiences of Barbara Lovell, the eldest daughter of one of the three astronauts, this gives someone for the younger readers to especially connect with as they read.

The book begins with the beginning of the disaster then returns to introduce the astronauts, their families, and what lead up to the situation, including a brief introduction to the creation of NASA and the space program. All of this is done quickly and doesn't bog down the story in the least. I enjoyed reading this account of the events and the people involved. I was left was admiration for the efforts of those involved. It's clear that the astronauts made it back safely because of the efforts of these people. At the same time, and the author points this out, while so many were waiting with baited breath to find out if the astronauts were going to make it back safely, conflict on a much larger scale continued to rage around the world (including the Vietnam War). It's ironic to realize the way Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jim Swigert were turned into heroes for surviving the Apollo 13 disaster, while those who made it possible for them to return safely were not. Society can be remarkably fickle about who it identifies as heroes. In any case, this is a great narrative nonfiction book that middle grade nonfiction lovers are bound to enjoy.

[Thinkerswriteandread]

I read Lost in Outer Space by Tod Olson. This was one of the most amazing books ever. I was jumping off my seats like i'm about to make you jump of your seats. It was action packed, amazing scary, and thrilling. I felt the shock through my body as I would visualize each and every event. This book is one of the best books that I have ever read in my life. Thats 12 and ¾ of life.
The main characters are Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert. Also known as one of the bravest people on earth. When all else failed they didn't give up. They kept going because they didn't want to die. People say they would do anything for there lives, but would they really. Well these men did and they proved it was possible. So I am proud to call these men my hero for encouraging me to work hard and to never give up because no matter what it is always possible. If they can get back from outer space to earth in a crippled space ship then the least I could do is do some work.
A major plot event was when they first realized that they were running low on oxygen and gas, and just when they found a small solution other problems started to appear. “ Houston we have a problem.”(pg.67) This is when they started to work 20 hours straight trying to fix the problems. The most sleep they got was 4-6 hours. I would suggest this book to people who have heard of Apollo 13, but don't really know about it because this book goes through it in detail.
Sincerely,
a3easy

[Winston · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Lost in Outer Space by Tod Olson was interesting to me because the astronauts had to find a way to get back to earth. You should read this book because it’s about a real life situation.

On April 13, 1970, a great, we’ll known event happened. It was the world’s third mission to the moon; The Apollo 13, journey to the moon. The journey started with the main character, Jim Lovell, who was a man training to be an astronaut. He has a great family that was proud of him being an astronaut. Once he went off to NASA to go on his mission, his daughter Barbara was very sad because she thought he would’ve come back in a while. Something went wrong during liftoff and their ship was venting some sort of gas into the outside. Mission Control found out what it was and now they are trapped in outer space. Mission Control was trying to solve the problem by using any resources in their ship to get them back onto earth. Barbara was left wondering if her dad would come back home or not.

[Hillary]

I read this aloud to my group of kiddos. we enjoyed most of it, even though there were definitely moments of fact overload. Reading this initiated a lot fun conversations and further research with my kiddos.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find my full review here: http://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsnon...

Thrilling and epic, LOST IN OUTER SPACE tells the harrowing story of the Apollo 13 mission as they learn that their ship is damaged and that they will not make it to the moon- and maybe won't be able to make it home through to when they overcome the odds and make it back. This mission is infamous- a true tale of humanity and survival with a fantastic conclusion. This book tells the true story of the mission- which is often not far from the Hollywood version.

Complete with information both about the mission and the people on Earth who were helping and/or their families worrying, this book captures the danger and the amazing resilience of the human spirit. Quite a bit of the book follows Barbara, the daughter of one of the astronauts on the mission who was 16 at the time. This adds an element of relatability to the young reader and a new perspective from what we usually hear. This mission is truly incredible, full of ingenuity and hope.

What I loved: The narrative style of the writing brings history to life for young readers who will easily devour this book. The mission and the devastation and hope around the journey back to Earth are beautifully captured in this book, making it an engaging and thrilling read. With images of the shuttle, Earth, and the individuals described, the book is composed perfectly to bring the story to life for the reader.

Final verdict: Absolutely thrilling and enthralling, this is a fascinating read that will capture young readers' hearts and minds in the telling. With thoughtfully chosen images and narrative text, the Apollo 13 mission and its trials and triumphs are captured for a new generation.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Apollo 13 disaster is one of the most incredible examples of overcoming the odds. Three astronauts blasted into space thinking they were going to go down in history for walking on the moon. In reality, they probably would not have been remembered at all and Apollo 13 would have just been another uneventful Apollo mission. Let's face it. Who knows the names of the astronauts who walked on the moon after Apollo 13? No one. Most people probably don't even know that anyone other than Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.

So here you have three astronauts famous for getting back to Earth alive after the oxygen tank on the service module explodes. How did they do it? By moving into the lunar module. The problem there is that the lunar module was only supposed to house 2 people for 2 days, the time they planned to be on the moon. They had 3 people and it was going to take 4 days to get back to Earth. The cost of survival meant rationing the oxygen. Since oxygen is used to make electricity, they had to power down the systems, including the heating system. There they were, in outer space, where it's very cold, with no heat. Trying times. But hey. They made it back. A movie was made starring Tom Hanks. And they are immortalized in the history books.

No one tells a story better than Tod Olson. I love how he goes back and forth with both time and point of view to set up the ultimate thriller. You should read all of his Lost books. I plan to get two copies of each for my library.

[Tim Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was mostly fantastic. The kids didn't want to stop reading it. I loved a more historical version of what happened during Apollo 13, rather than the fictionalized version from 1995. It gives much more credit to the people on the ground and the hours and hours of work they did to get the astronauts home. Which, I'm more than willing to admit, doesn't totally translate over to the screen.

My one complaint is the Epilogue. I wanted one of a few things:
(1) What the people involved with the Apollo 13 mission have done since the disaster.
(2) What NASA has done since then.
(3) An invitation for what more exciting things we can do in space.

What we got instead was, "Yeah, space is great, but people got tired of the program because of all the problems here on Earth. We should focus on those. Look at these programs we have done to focus on those."

I read about space because I friggin' want to get away from the mundane problems of Earth. Why do you have to kill my explorer vibe with depressing things like the Vietnam War, budget cuts, and Earth Day?

Anyway, other than that, a great book for the kids.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Tod Olson's Lost in the Antarctic to a grade 4/5 class last year and it went well, so I thought I would try this one out. It also went well, but there were times that I thought some were getting bored...unbelievably!

I was eight-years-old in 1970 and I don't have any recollection of this story from personal memory. What was I doing at eight, that I missed out on this drama! I remember the moon landing. I did, also, watch the Tom Hanks movie enacting the same events quite a few years ago, so I was familiar with the story. This is perhaps one of the most exciting and dramatic non-fiction survival events ever recorded. Not to take anything away from those people lost at sea, or mountain climbing tales, but, come on!, your spaceship explodes on the way to the moon and you still make it back to earth! How?

Ted Olson does a good job creating the same excitement this story offers for young readers. I suppose this is the kind of story that you are either going to love or not so much. Although, I have a hard time believing that it wouldn't perk your interest in some small way.

"Space, the final frontier." Definitely a mission Jim Kirk would have thrived in.

[SD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I watched the docudrama film 'Apollo 13' and read the original 1994 manuscript upon with the movie was based, 'Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, by astronaut Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger,' I knew the ultimate ending of the space flight. At the same time,'Lost in Outer Space' by Tod Olson, produced a heightened level of anxiety in the reader. I appreciated the appropriate 'style' selected by the author for a scholastic publication. An easy, short read, appropriate for middle, high school students, young adults or adults. Since the Tod Olson chose to share a few insights concerning the families of the astronauts, the book could be improved with more details about the lives of the astronauts wives, children and friends. At any rate, the book is worth a four (4) stars recommendation for other readers.

[Dscotthep · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read (and enjoyed) Jim Lovell's book "Lost Moon", but it's thick with technical jargon and acronyms, and may be off-putting for someone not familiar with NASA's Apollo program or who doesn't have the technical bent of a geek like me. "Lost in Outer Space" is the perfect book for someone who wants the Apollo 13 story without the overwhelming dose of technical details.

I listened to the audiobook and only realized then that this was published by Scholastic. That would explain the simplified approach Olson took to this book (it's targeted to kids!). In spite of that, it's an impeccably researched book and manages to include more than enough detail that I knew Olson wasn't trying to OVER-simplify the story or cut corners in any way.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The account of the Apollo 13 mission spends a lot of time looking at the family left behind, particularly the oldest daughter of Lovell, Barbara. We see her life as an astronaut kid, missing school for launches, getting freebies and some rock star moments, but also seeing sober uniforms walk up to her friends' houses to say that dad wasn't coming back. And she knows that's a real possibility. Meanwhile we also cut back to the astronauts dealing with the problem and the NASA geeks frantically trying to pull rabbits out of their hats. Exciting and real, a good introduction to this adventure for kids.

[Hubdiggity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just the story to match your favorite Tom Hanks in space movie, this is the book that inspired it. You can practically hear Ed Harris saying "work the problem" as Gene Kranz is quoted in the book. And with just a few less Hollywood moments (they had to give Gary Sinese a few more lines after all), this story is mesmerizing in how perfectly it is made for the big screen. The tense final minute and a half of the reentry radio blackout is too heart-wrenching, white-knuckle-nerve-wracking to possibly have been real... but it was! It's good history, good entertainment, and almost enough to make me want to be an astronaut. Almost.

[Cody Cabezas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because of how suspenseful it is. This book is about Apollo 13. Apollo 13 was a lunar mission set to land on the moon, but there was a problem. There was an oxygen leak in the capsule and it was a big leak. It was so big that they had to use the lunar capsule to come back to earth. The capsule is only supposed to hold 1 person and had enough oxygen for a day for 1 person. But they had three people and a three day journey. They had to push the implausible odds of 1:3 to survive outer space. I like how the author makes this book so suspenseful.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly short book considering it’s small size and fairly large text. I wondered at first if this was a juvenile book. Very compelling story. Some nitpicks: friction from air on re-entry does not cause the fiery heat issue; that is ram pressure from the supersonic re-entry speed. For a book about three astronauts nearly dying in space, a lot of focus is on one of their daughters. The end of the book has to go into a social spiel about environmental stuff.

Good story, could have changed the focus a bit.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good middle school read for students who like reading about true events. There is a lot of technical speak in the text, which made it hard to keep my interest. I did like how the story of one of the astronauts family was intertwined. I did like the epilogue and the author’s note at the end explaining how the author got his information and history of was happened after the event in regards to the space programs at NASA.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good golly, this was a gripping read. I couldn't put it down. I was engaged from the get go even with all the technical terms. I was really impressed by the storytelling style in this one. Switching perspectives from the space crew, their family and the control center created a suspense that kept me turning pages.

Photographs every other page or so provided welcome distractions. I'm sure kids will love this as much as I did!

It was funny I didn't make the connection that this mission was what the Tom Hanks movie was based on.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost In Outer Space: The Incredible Journey of Apollo 13, written by Tod Olson, is a nonfiction book. In it, you will find out who the three astronauts who flew the ship were. You learn about the lives of their families. You will learn about the terrible accident they had. When they started losing oxygen and power. They have to find a way to get back to Earth. They have to abandon their mission to step foot on the moon. Will they see their families ever again?

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This narrative non-fiction about Apollo 13 is fascinating. Even though I know it will end up okay, Tod Olson builds the suspense so well, it becomes a page-turner. I also enjoyed the level of science and engineering included. It doesn't feel dumb-downed while still being interesting and understandable.

Highly recommend for the non-fiction lovers and fans of the "I Survived" series that are ready for a higher reading level.

[Raelene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely an easy and intriguing way to learn more about Apollo 13, I guess I just didn’t really understand the focus on Barbara Lovell specifically. It didn’t seem like it really added anything to the story, and there wasn’t anything like, special or exclusive that she added to this book specifically, so it just came off a bit random to me.

But I did enjoy this, and it left me wanting to check out the other books in this series by this author.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olson keeps the reader in suspense, always wondering what will happen next. Even though I know this story and the outcome, I still found myself propelled to read on. He seamlessly weaves the perspectives of the astronauts, the family members and NASA to understand this historical event. Students will definitely be able to relate to daughter Barbara's thoughts and experiences.

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 2 out of 5]

What should have been really exciting turned into a real slog. It took me weeks to read this for work purposes. Too much technical vocabulary, not enough personal detail to attach me to any of the astronauts. I do not typically read a lot of nonfiction, so keep that in mind with regard to my review.