Lost in the Antarctic: The Doomed Voyage of the Endurance
Author: Tod Olson
Published January 1st, 2019 by Scholastic Inc.
Summary: 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.
Praise for Previous Titles in the Series:
★”A riveting, completely engrossing true survival story.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Engaging… A great choice for collections.” —School Library Journal
And I know I am on the right track because when I went to school to talk to my students about the series, specifically to my historical fiction and nonfiction loving 4th period, there were a few kids who had already heard of, read, and loved previous books in the series.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: First, add these to your library! These will be perfect for your I Survived series readers and nonfiction fans. I also think that the series would be a wonderful series for in-class book clubs for each group to read about a different historical event then after finishing the book, the culminating task for the book club could be sharing about the event with their class.
Discussion Questions:
- What made Shackleton the perfect captain for an Antarctic expedition?
- What do you believe was the decision that doomed the voyage?
- Why were the dogs and cat not able to go through the whole voyage with the crew?
- Why would the author have chosen this voyage for his series?
- What is the difference between historical fiction and narrative nonfiction?
- How did the addition of a photographer on the trip change the way that we learn about the voyage now?
Flagged Passages: “Prologue, Weddell Sea, Antarctica, October 26th, 1915:
The ship didn’t stand a chance, and Frank Hurley knew it. He’d been in the engine room with the carpenter, trying desperately t keep the water out. They had walled off the leak, where the sternpost and rudder had been wrenched out of place… The Endurance was being squeezed to death around them.
One man stood mostly still, watching the commotion from the raised deck in the stern. The crew referred to him as Sir Ernest in writing. In person they called him ‘the Boss.’ He had broad shoulders and a compact frame, blunt features, and a square jaw. He looked like he was built for this kind of venture–leaving every known thing behind to risk his life in a frozen wilderness.
Ernest Shackleton had been to Antarctic twice already. Twice had had almost died there. Now, his third expedition hovered on the brink of disaster.” (p. 1-4)
Read This If You Love: Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong, The I Survived series, Narrative nonfiction, History
Recommended For:
Giveaway!:
**Thank you to Blue Slip Media and Scholastic for providing books for review and giveaway!**
Survival stories are pretty popular with students. I’ll have to get a copy of this.
I have at least one other book from this series in my classroom, but I haven’t read it…yet! Thank you for the opportunity to win this one!
I love to read survival stories and finding a book like this that is nonfiction survival story that keeps readers engaged throughout sounds like the perfect selection for nonfiction.
It’s quite an amazing survival story and I didn’t know there was another one out, Kellee. Thanks for the review!
I also didn’t know about this series. I have every grown-up book about the Endurance ever published, so I need to get this one for my library too!
Terrific book!