Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 Mission by David Long and Stefano Tambellini (illustrator)
It's fifty years since the Apollo 13 mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, but the story of that journey remains one of the greatest survival stories of all time. Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 Mission is a brilliant retelling of what happened.
| Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 Mission by David Long and Stefano Tambellini (illustrator) | |
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| Category: Dyslexia Friendly | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A superb look at one of the greatest survival stories of all time. Brilliantly written and dyselxia friendly too. Highly recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 88 | Date: April 2020 |
| Publisher: Barrington Stoke | |
| ISBN: 978-1781129388 | |
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There's some context first with a brief history of flight, with the first one lasting only twelve seconds and covering less than forty metres. After the second world war, there was a hope that the technology used to build rockets as weapons could be developed for use in science and exploration and in the late sixties, man would land on the moon - and then do it again. By the time that Apollo 13 was launched space travel was almost becoming boring, but all that would change when an explosion on the outward journey to the moon, two-hundred-thousand miles from home, put the survival of the astronauts in real doubt.
David Long has an excellent combination of talents: he has the knowledge and the ability to tell a gripping story without any jargon. I knew what happened (I was around at the time!) but there was still no way that I was going to put this book down until I'd finished it. Long makes facts relateable - a Formula 1 engine has six thousand parts whilst Saturn V rockets need more than three million. The rockets are 111m tall, which is higher than the Statue of Liberty or Big Ben. They weigh more than four hundred of the largest African elephants. You can't help but have a great picture in your mind!
The facts are backed up by some excellent illustrations from Stefano Tambellini: I spent as long studying these as I did reading the text. They made what was happening so clear.
There's an added bonus with this book too: it's dyslexia friendly. Barrington Stoke has designed a special font where each character is distinct and pulls the reader on to read the next word. It's printed on an off-white paper, which reduces the glare which can distract some readers and the paper is substantial enough to ensure that there's no bleed-through from the reverse of the page. The spacing between words and lines has been carefully judged to give the best reading experience and the text has not been justified as this can mean that readers get lost on the page. The book has clearly defined chapters to give natural rest breaks and it's not just the reader who benefits from that - many parents and carers feel the same way. It's not just people with dyslexia who benefit from these ingenious changes - most young readers will find the books easier to read and more enjoyable. I'm just about into my dotage and recently I've been suffering from eye problems - and Barrington Stoke books are the ones which I can read most easily.
It's a cracking book for anyone with an interest in space flight, exploration or survival. You come away from it feeling as though you've been entertained: the education is delivered with a very light touch and I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a review copy to the Bookbag.
For more about space we can recommend The Book Of Space: All About Stars, Planets and Rockets! by Clive Gifford. For more from Long, try Survivors: Extraordinary Tales from the Wild and Beyond.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 Mission by David Long and Stefano Tambellini (illustrator) at Amazon.com.
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