WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: Lost in the Antarctic by Tod Olson

LOST IN THE ANTARCTIC

The Doomed Voyage of the Endurance

by Tod Olson

Scholastic, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-338-20734-7

Source: Blue Slip Media for review

Ages 9-12

Middle grade nonfiction

All opinions expressed are solely my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK

There wasn’t a thing Ernest Shackleton could do. He stood on the ice-bound Weddell Sea, watching the giant blocks of frozen saltwater squeeze his ship to death. The ship’s name seemed ironic now: the Endurance. But she had lasted nine months in this condition, stuck on the ice in the frigid Antarctic winter. So had Shackleton and his crew of 28 men, trying to become the first expedition ever to cross the entire continent.

Now, in October 1915, as he watched his ship break into pieces, Shackleton gave up on that goal. He ordered his men to abandon ship. From here on, their new goal would be to focus on only one thing: survival.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tod Olson is the author of the historical fiction series How to Get Rich and the four books in the Lost series--Lost in the Pacific, 1942; Lost in Outer Space;  Lost in the Amazon; and Lost in the Antarctic. He has written for national magazines on the Columbine school shooting, homeless teens, the murder of Matthew Shepard, and many other stories of interest to children and young adults. Tod holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Vermont with his family, his mountain bike, and his electric reclining chair. To learn more, and to download free teaching resources, visit his website: todolson.com.

REVIEW

Shackleton's famous voyage to Antarctica has been written about a lot.  I've had the privileged to read some of those works.  This book takes the many accounts of the voyage of the Endurance and makes it understandable for young readers.  Having enjoyed his other Lost books, I looked forward to reading this one even though I was already familiar with the story.  Olson does a great job of telling the story in a compelling narrative that moves along which is important for the target audience.  He includes enough detail for young readers to have an idea of how hard the journey was for the participants while not getting bogged down and losing their interest.  In fact, I thought he did a superb job at including important details that give the readers a taste of the hardships the men endured and the difficult decisions that had to be made.  The photographs from the expedition were well chosen and did a nice job of showing the realities of the time and place.  An excellent addition to a compelling series.