Ten of the Best Adventures in Frozen Landscapes. (Ten of the Best: Stories of Exploration and Adventure). David West. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 24 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $8.95 (pbk.) $18.36 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-1840-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1834-5 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-7802-2 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-7796-4 (html). Subject Headings: Polar regions-Discovery and exploration-History-Juvenile literature. Explorers-Juvenile literature. Grades 2-4 / Ages 7-9. Review by Christina Pike. **** /4

excerpt:

When Shackleton' ship, Endurance, became trapped in ice in the Weddell Sea on January 18, 1915, all hope of crossing the Antarctic was lost. The men survived the winter but, by October, they had become marooned on the ice pack when Endurance sank after being crushed by the ice. (From “Shackleton's Rescue”, p. 18.)

As suggested by the title, Ten of the Best Adventures in Frozen Landscapes, author David West has captured 10 historical accounts of various attempts to find both the northern and southern passage in order to cross the North Pole and the Antarctic. West gives his readers the highlights of what each adventurer attempted. These 10 stories are about real people and are not for the faint of heart as many of the adventurers did not survive their attempts. West begins this book going back to the late 1500s and introduces his readers to Willen Barentsz who attempted to find a northeast passage to the Far East travelling through the Arctic. West then moves on to 1845 and John Franklin's attempt at the same exploration. Fridtjof Nansen and Salomon August Andree similarly attempt to reach North Pole using different methods. The next four stories depict attempts to reach the South Pole and Antarctic. Finally West rounds off the 10 stories with two final stories about the quest to conquer the North Pole. In addition to the historical accounts, pictures are also included with each adventure.

     Given the age of the readers, West also appropriately includes a glossary of terms.

     Ten of the Best Adventures in Frozen Landscapes is a quick and highly entertaining read.

Highly Recommended.

Christina Pike is the Principal of St. Paul's Junior High School in St. John’s, NL.

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