Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 – An Action-Packed Young Adult Dystopian Novel About Deadly Reality TV and Historical Courage

by Andrea White

The wind and snow blow so hard, you can't see your hand in front of your face. Your heating fuel is nearly gone, and so is your food. How do you survive?

Five fourteen–year–olds face this desperate situation on a deadly journey in Antarctica. It is 2083. They are contestants on a reality TV show, Antarctic Survivor, which is set up to re-create Robert F. Scott's 1912 doomed attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole.

But in 2083 reality TV is not just an act. Contestants literally relive – or die during – the simulations of events. Robert Scott and his team were experienced explorers and scientists, but their attempt to reach the Pole proved fatal. What chance does the Antarctic Survivor team have?

This action–packed, riveting adventure – full of fascinating direct quotes from Scott's journals and other accounts of the expedition – is both a heart-wrenching drama from the past and a disquieting glimpse into the future.

Ages 12+

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fiction, Adventure, Survival, Middle Grade

344 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 23, 2005

About the author

Since 2006, Andrea as published four books written for middle school readers. Surviving Antarctica was selected for the Bluebonnet list and a handful of other state lists, and the Texas State Reading Association awarded it the Golden Spur award for the best book by a Texas author. In 2012, Windows on the World won the Spirit of Texas award for middle school fiction.

For four years Andrea worked full-time at the Houston Chronicle, the daily for the fourth largest city in the country. One of her editorials was featured in a package that ranked as finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in Public Service in 2017.

She lives in Houston, TX with her husband, former Mayor Bill White.

Reviews

[Elias · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great concept, but it must have been difficult to write a 300-page book at a 3rd grade reading level. The language lacks the emotional complexity I've come to expect from good YA, instead relying on short sentences and simple characters with Frog and Toad-era depth. Somebody rewrite this one well, please.

[Dannii Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is the year 2083 but a group of fourteen-year-olds are transported back to a simulation of 1912 in an attempt to recreate Robert F. Scott's doomed attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole for a new reality TV series.

This premise held so much potential and I think the actual bones for the story were very promising. I immediately felt a disconnect to what was occurring, however, when I was provided with super short snapshots into the contestant's lives and their struggles. I longed to know them more before their expedition began.

I do like a multi-POV novels but, for me, I have to spend longer than a page or two at any one time in each character's mind for me to bond with the events occurring. Such a brief time spent followed by such sudden shifts led me to form no connections with the characters and, thus, I could care little for what occurred to them.

The actual adventure felt like a pretty tame one, as well. I believed this would be tense and fast-paced but there was much discussion of what would befall the child crew before anything actually did and for such a short book, this led to the whole thing feeling overwritten in places yet super simple in what it actually contained.

This premise really appealed to me and perhaps if I was the target age-range audience then this would have become a new favourite but, unfortunately, that was not the case. I have read much YA and don't usually find this problem, but maybe this is aimed towards the younger end and so not suited towards adult tastes as much.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Surviving Antarctica" is about the adventure of five fourteen year old teenagers who try to trek through... well, Antarctica. In 2083 the only way to get a further education besides high school is the toss, which is basically a chance game with dice, and if you win you get a further education but if you lose then you don't. Also, in 2083 the government has found that making everything happen through television (school, entertainment, etc.) is much more cost effective and much less violence provoking. So, these five kids, Billy, Robert, Grace, Polly, and Andrew, all lost their tosses. So for each of them to try and get a chance to win prize money, they participate in a reality show where they have to journey through a barren, wintery wasteland.

I thought this was a really interesting and good book. The characters I found enjoyable, the plot interesting, and the tone of writing simple. The only complaint I have is that I wish the author expanded on the idea of the toss more, as well as how everything is done through television and how that affects people. The ending was also a little too clear cut, but other than that I was mesmerized by this book and would recommend it.

[Mister_T1313 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book always had me at the edge of my seat. I NEVER knew what was going to happen next. My thoughts are like who is going to survive? Will any of them survive? Will they be saved? Two of the teens wanted to stay, and they did stay. This is one of the BEST books I've read in my life. I was upset when it was finished. I really didn't want it to end.
5 STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Erin Formby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun read! It really picked up when the kids made it to Antarctica, and I particularly enjoyed reading about their final adventure there.

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one because, you know, Antarctica. And this was a great idea: a futuristic society where reality TV has gone to horrifying new levels AND Antarctica? Sounds good to me. Unfortunately, the poor execution was apparent early on.

Although I don't claim to be an expert on Antarctica, I have read a couple of thorough and thoroughly convincing books on the subject, but there were few parts of this book that felt authentic. I could have forgiven the lack of world-building and barely developed characters, and even the uninspired writing if only the Antarctica portion of the book had convinced me.

First of all, the five teenagers sent to Antarctica were American, so when the book referred to the government shutting down all scientific research in Antarctica, I'm assuming it referred to American research. Which would mean several other countries' research stations would still be in operation. However, there was absolutely no mention of these bases, and scarce evidence anything had ever happened on Antarctica after Scott's expedition in 1912. So unless the Antarctic Treaty (which was also never mentioned) somehow became completely defunct and every single one of the 49/50 participating countries hauled off every scrap of material they had ever used, I could never believe in this part of the story.

The author did include several details from Scott's expedition, which was a nice touch to the story, but the expedition of the book's five teenagers was just . . . meh. The journey these children took never felt particularly harrowing. They had supplies and gear and animals, and they seemed to know exactly what to do. They were like "Yeah, we're on the ice, whatever, let's get to the South Pole already." At one point a girl took off her shoe OUTSIDE because she suspected frostbite. What the HECK? You're OUTSIDE! Also, they seemed to be counting on seals for food, even though at 150 miles from the Pole, I'm sure they were pretty far away from any wildlife.

Oh, OH. Get this. After there's like, a revolt by the outraged viewers and people come in to rescue the kids, TWO OF THE KIDS STAY BEHIND so they can keep trying to reach the Pole. Great decision, guys. Good luck with that.

Anyway, my idea of a great YA fiction is The White Darkness, which started my interest in Antarctica. If you're at all interested in learning even a little about it, that's a better place to start than this.

P.S. "Had had" is definitely kind of clunky writing in my opinion (I prefer to contract the first had if I run into that problem, or figure out a new way to write the sentence). However, to the reader who checked out this book and crossed out the first "had" in the two uses of "had had," you are WRONG! (Plus, don't write in books that aren't yours.) It's called past perfect tense. Sheesh.

[Valerie (Val's Vicinity) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The year is 2083, and American civilization as we know it no longer exists. Years back, the government went bankrupt, crime rates soared, riots and urban trash wars broke out. With the idea that better television programming would keep people in front of their TV's, thus reducing crime and keeping people happy, a new branch of government was formed... the Department of Entertainment.

Public schools are no more, all schooling is now done through TV, up until high school. (If you aren't rich, then your odds of getting education beyond the 8th grade are slim at best.) History is taught with reality shows, designed to simulate historic events such as the Civil War, the Alamo, Egyptian Pyramid Building, etc. These "educational" reality shows are done with real people, who are in real danger and often die during filming.

With tv ratings falling, the Department of Entertainment comes up with a new gimmick to pull in higher ratings: a new historical reality show, this time featuring 14 year old kids. They will be simulating Robert Scott's trek to the south pole in Antarctica, and the prize money offered is enough for a high school and college education. Even though it's risky and incredibly dangerous, many kids apply, as they don't have much of a future without an education, and the prize money would give them that. Robert, Billy, Andrew, Polly and Grace are chosen for the show, and the adventure begins....will they get to the pole alive, or will disaster strike? I'm not going to say anymore, so you'll have to read the book to find out! :)

This was a really interesting read, it definitely kept my attention all the way through. The kids really grow and mature from the experiences they go through... I'd have never guessed that by the time I got to the end my favorite characters would be the ones that I didn't care for in the beginning. The way the book presents the state of society in 2083 is definitely a warped, sad and sobering thing. Life is treated as a game, in fact the government widely broadcasts this message. In 8th grade those who don't have the money for further schooling participate in "The Toss"... throw a pair of dice, and if you get the correct numbers, you can go to high school and college. Get the wrong numbers, you're a loser, but life's just a game anyway, and The Toss gives everyone the same chance.

This may be aimed at kids/young teens, but the writing and story are not extremely simplistic or childish, so I think older teens and even adults would find the story here intriguing and enjoyable. (I'm 22 and I did!)

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2083, until 8th grade, kids attend teleschool. They watch reality television that is loosely designed to teach them things—Historical Survivor, Dialing for Dollars, and more. Kids who want to continue their education—the only way to really make anything of yourself—is to attempt the Toss, a roll of the dice that determines if you will receive a government scholarship.

Polly, Robert, Grace, Andrew and Billy have lost their Tosses, and have been chosen to be the participants in Historical Survivor: Antarctica. They’ll struggle to survive Antarctica, and recreate Captain Scott’s doomed mission to reach the Pole. It’s a brutal struggle for survival, all filmed for reality television and the entertainment of the viewers. As conditions worsen, the teens need to band together to try to make it out of Antarctica alive.

A lot of the concepts in this book seem a little silly, and the characters all feel a little stilted. The Urban Trash Wars, teleschool, flavored nutrient chips—it has all the fixins of a developed futuristic society, but somehow they don’t fall solidly into place. But once you get past all the marginal silly, this becomes a gripping tale of survival. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I was halfway through, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

[Nancy S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all the criticisms of this book, and while I do not necessarily disagree with them, this did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying it. If taken as a satire on our current culture, it is perfection. A story about a future where almost all education is done on television, and where a roll of the dice determines who can attend high school and college, fascinates me. And the fact that the greatest form of entertainment is a reality show where people actually compete to the death, is pure genius!

So, yeah, it may not be great literature, but I loved it.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a future where television replaces a school education, citizens sign up for chances to be on re-creations of historical events in a reality tv series known as Historical Survivor. But Survivor's ratings are slipping and the Secretary of Entertainment needs a new idea to get the public's attention. So she creates a script recreating the tragically fatal 1911 quest for the South Pole, complete with pre-programmed catastrophes mimicking the original trek. Then she casts five 14-year-olds, with the promise of cash prizes, offering them a way to pay for an education. Polly has a photographic memory and reveres the original explorers for their bravery and humanity. Robert is a natural leader from the poor streets. Billy used to be pampered but now is just mainly hungry and eager to be named the MVP. Grace, a relocated Eskimo that has never seen snow, longs to live the life of her ancestors. And Andrew? Well, he's never done much of anything. Throw is a few government conspiracies, underground rebels on the production staff, hoarding, and one really ornery sled dog, and you've got yourself a tv ratings bonanza!

This book reminded me a lot like Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games," but with MUCH less bloodshed. At times, I felt like the kids were acting a lot older than their age; there was a lot more mature thinking going into their decisions on the hike then perhaps one could expect from that age group. Also, the author gives each character's take on the scene, even if they weren't paying attention, which I really liked, as it showed the different mindsets and backgrounds.

[Professor Boba · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently reading middle grade/teen books with weird premises set in Antarctica and then writing reviews that nobody asked for is my new purpose in life. When trying to explain this book to a friend I called it a “Hunger Games AU of The Worst Journey in the World,” and aside from the fact that this was published three years before The Hunger Games, that’s pretty much what it is—a bold concept, but an intriguing one. Unfortunately, it manages to combine mind-breaking insanity with soporific boredom.

I struggled to sympathize with our lovely little team of heroes, partially because the author doesn’t let you get into their heads, partially because they’re all so repugnant you don’t want to get into their heads. Polly was the worst offender. After I had been suffering through her endless quotations and infodumping for about 200 pages, she began musing over whether she would be brave enough to sacrifice herself by walking out into a blizzard to die, which I fervently hoped was foreshadowing. Unfortunately, that was far too long a word and difficult a concept for the author to implement. If you took out the entire paragraphs that were copy-and-pasted from various other books on polar exploration (most of which are within Polly’s dialogue and thoughts), it would probably cut about 25% of the book’s length and you wouldn’t lose a lot. Those quotes were italicized, but the characters’ thoughts weren’t, which was a bit distracting, but it was quickly overshadowed by the characterization, plot, and childish, talking-down tone.

This is petty, but the polar history buff and aspiring author in me insists on pointing out that subtle naming tactics are not the author’s strong suit—anyone with even a surface-level knowledge of Scott’s last expedition can tell that Robert is clearly named after Robert Scott, Billy must be an homage to Edward “Bill” Wilson, and Grace is obviously named after Lawrence Edward Grace Oates. And all that’s not even getting started on the fact that the most sympathetic character (as seen in universe, they’re all dreadful to me) is named Andrew and the author’s first name is Andrea.

I struggled to pin down the target audience for this. The short sentences broken into short paragraphs came across as a middle-grade or younger teen device, but a passing mention of the dystopian government’s brutal execution methods shown on live tv and the scene where a pony is eaten by sharks suggested a more mature audience. The author’s obvious attempts to avoid cursing didn’t help with clearing up the age range.

The worldbuilding felt childish, too (aside from the above executions on live tv). It’s mostly in service of a heavyhanded message of “TV bad,” so it can come across as exaggerated at times. In addition, it’s very much a product of the early 2000s. The “human fax” machine feels very dated, and the fact that people watch television instead of socializing or going to school and have ebooks instead of real books but still use physical notebooks and newspapers all contribute to a very (apparently unintentional) retrofuturistic tone.

There are almost good things about the story—the book eventually tries to bring up the idea that democracy is not a spectator sport, but this is a bit hard to engage with due to how late it’s introduced, how it’s overshadowed by the “TV bad” messaging that’s taken up much of the story up till that point, and how incongruous the heaviness of the theme is with the simplistic worldbuilding. Ultimately, I went in expecting middle grade/early teen madness and came out of it having tentatively declared it badly written YA that talks down to its audience.

I briefly discussed historical errors in my review The White Darkness, so I’ll do the same here with the ones I noticed.
1) Let me preface this by saying that I really, really don’t want to come across as an obnoxiously pedantic history buff, but this quote irked me: “Robert F. Scott and the four men who died with him on the expedition to reach the South Pole in 1912 went on the worst journey in the world.” Calling the polar trek “the worst journey in the world” makes it seem like the author only saw the title and knew the basic facts of the expedition. The actual “worst journey in the world” was the Winter Journey (part of the same expedition but distinct from the polar journey) to retrieve emperor penguin eggs. This could have been a deliberate choice to highlight gaps in the characters’ knowledge, but given that it’s never corrected or commented on, I think it was probably a mistake.
2) This is pretty minor, but at one point, the author states that Edward Wilson’s first name was Robert. She had just been talking about Robert Scott, and one of her characters is named Robert, so she probably got distracted and typed the name again by mistake, but her editors really should have caught that.

“Fun” things that jumped out at me:
1) Only in this book would you find the sentence “Now where would the government have put the dog food?”
2) This comment, that comes right after one of the characters was attacked by a dog: “That dog wasn’t vicious. It was attacking another dog, and Billy got in the way.” I think that one speaks for itself.
3) While this couldn’t have been intentional given the publication date, within the universe of the story, there’s a movie called “Food Fight” that gets mentioned in passing to flavor the text (pun intended). Oh, the flashbacks to the horrible product placement-riddled animated movie.
4) Speaking of product placement, the story’s filled with mentions of retrofuturistic-sounding brands and products, plus one reference to the Gap. The environment, society, and culture as we know them may not survive the apocalypse, but rest assured the Gap will.

If you want adventure in the Antarctic with stakes and emotions running high, just read The Worst Journey in the World. I really can’t recommend it highly enough; it’s a phenomenon you have to experience for yourself. This book drags Worst Journey and its author through the mud by mere association; poor Cherry-Garrard deserved so much better than to have this dreck try to rip off his masterpiece.

Edit: bumped it down from 3 stars to 1 and moved it from BOTBBC to Leitners even though it doesn’t quite inflict the same sort of psychic damage as its shelf mates. I was very clouded by nostalgia in my initial review.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because my 7th grader is reading it for school and I wanted to be able to ask him questions about it.
I thought the story was interesting. It should keep the interest of most young-adult readers and is a not quite so horrific way to ease in to the dystopian genre. But the writing quality was pretty terrible. The characters were supposed to be experiencing a ton of inner turmoil and growth, and although the actions they took at the end supported this, I never really saw or felt any of what they were supposedly going through. The pacing was also choppy...drawing out some parts and quickly glossing over other in no real discernible pattern.

[Shalom Falk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish there was a more in depth look into why the world is the way it is in this story. Also I want an explanation to what in the world the "great urban trash war" was. It was a good read, though the ending went fast and was unexpected.

[Kenneth Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a kids book so it has its limitations but I’ll be damned if the last third wasn’t very engaging and entertaining, I even teared up a bit. Would love an adult fiction version.

[☆ sloane tavish ☆ (fiona apple girlie) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Underrated

I need to know more about the world they live in though

[Ruby · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was Ok. I read this book for school. The first part of the book was slow and they end was fine. They close to they end but not very end was the best part. I might choose to give this book a 2.5 stars but that is not an option and I did not enjoy it that much. The characters were strong though, so that was good. Not a recommend unless you have a strong interest in learning about Antarctica.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Child's Game is the story of a futuristic society where the television game, Survivor, has taken on a whole new meaning. Contestants are now part of a life and death game recreating famous events in history, such as, Civil War Historical Survivor, Bubonic Plague Historical Survivor, and Alamo Historical Survivor. The script of these events is controlled by the Secretary of Entertainment whose job is to educate the masses through television since only a very few are allowed to go to school if they win a toss of the dice. For the first time in Antarctic Survivor, young people will be the participants. Unknown to the young contestants, cameras have been implanted into their eyes to record the journey of Robert Scott on his ill-fated expedition to discover the South Pole in 1912. This is a great story with lots of action and adventure as well as asking some thought-provoking questions about society. Excellent Book!

[anna jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

kinda boring

[Summer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The cover says it all. Really, it does. Why, oh, why did I pick this up when the cover was so awful that I could hurl it into a deep pit just glancing at it!? In fact, the entire time I was reading it I hid the cover from my mom in the car. The plot. Sad, sad, sad little imitation of... well the Hunger Games. This would all make sense if only this book were published about three years later when the Hunger Games were actually out. But with something like that out there, why even bother with this? It's mediocre, a waste of time, and induces nausea for goodness sakes!

A bunch of kids who happen to be deprived of a high school education by the government decide to place themselves in a TV show called *blank* Survivor in hopes of getting $10,000 to do whatever they want with, including buying their way to education again. The government has every kid in the country eating nutrient chips, sitting on a couch, and taking television quizzes. It's 2083 and they seem no better off than us and the new found system just works on getting kids overweight. The most popular of the educational shows is this survivor show and guess what, people have died and been mutilated all in a kids TV show. Not even to prove a point but just to do reenactments of stuff that could cost a lot less done in a digital system in all likely hood. The kids' survivor is the reenactment of Scott(???) in Antarctica where they are left with cameras in they're eyes so their unwittingly filming everything that could possibly kill them.

People begin to get the idea that putting kids in life and death situation is wrong. Really??? I thought people where idiots. Maybe I'm proven wrong. Maybe we're so brilliant to recognize after years of killing that it may actually be wrong. Psh, who cares, killing kids for entertainment, what a joke. Why didn't people realize that it's just wrong to kill people for a TV show that kids watch no less? Every character was pretty brainless. They bad guys were just plain annoying, the kids just as bad (they don't talk like any tweens I've heard, more like toddlers), and the construction of the book is dull, demeaning, and poorly written. I don't really want to go in to details because I just don't have enough eighty years left to waste time on a book that didn't deserve to get published in the first place. Thank you for reading, I hoped I've convinced you to waste you're time on something else like watching slugs crawl across a dirt path, or maybe go to a pancake eating contest. You'd gain weight but at least you'd have satisfaction and happiness, something this book doesn't really have a good supply of. Good bye.

[Kazim W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what education will be like in the future? Andrea White answers this question in her breathtaking story, Surviving Antarctica, which takes place in 2083. Her suspenseful and thrilling book shows how life and education will be different from today, specifically how the lower-class will have no power compared to the upper-class.
White starts off her book by sharing the life of each character. The five main kids, Grace, Andrew, Polly, Billy, and Robert are part of the lower-class. White is a great author because she tells the story through each of the kids’ perspectives. This makes the book interesting because the reader experiences all of the characters’ thoughts, instead of just one character’s. In the text, Grace thinks, “Billy was cruel.” However, White shows that Billy disagrees by showing his thought, “It was actually Grace’s fault.” Here are two different point of views from two different characters. The kids are looking for money, so they apply to enter a reality TV show. In this show, each person earns $10,000 for surviving a long journey in Antarctica. However, the kids do not know that they will be risking their lives trying to get the money. They will have to face many challenges and risk their lives for each other's. First they have to travel by boat to Antarctica. They go through a daunting and difficult journey to get across. The kids go through a journey similar to what Robert Scott went through in 1912, when he led the first expedition to Antarctica. The government records their journey and airs it on TV for kids everywhere to watch. They will have exactly the same amount of supplies as Scott had. Will the kids be able to survive in Antarctica, while a grown man and his scientific team could not? Even the kids doubt their abilities, on the way to Antarctica Polly whispers to Grace, “I don't think any of us are going to make it.”
A type of reader who would enjoy this book is someone who likes adventure books similar to the The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. White leaves many cliff-hangers at the end of her chapters which causes readers, who love suspense, to never stop reading this great book.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is supposed to be about a reality show where 5 young teenagers are selected to venture to Antarctica to re-enact Robert F. Scott's attempt to reach the South Pole. The teens are selected by a dice game where the options are either winning an education, a career, or becoming a contestant on a reality TV show.

I stopped reading this book at page 37. The similarities to Hunger Games are very much in your face with a government representative overseeing the dice game, special privileges for previous dice winners, special transportation for winners and television shows and specials about the winners, and on and on. It is hard to read more than a page or two without being reminded of Hunger Games. This book actually feels like a rough draft of Hunger Games; it is that similar.

The characters are not developed at all. They just exist to do what the author writes them to do. The setting would likely be interesting if she had bothered to develop that at all, but alas did not. The reader senses that there is some sort of dystopia going on, with public schools being abolished in favor of public education via television. The plot moves along like a vehicle with a square wheel....it is clunky and slow. It is predictable and unsurprising. It is a shame that she did not develop this novel more because I feel that this novel could have a lot more potential than it actually had. I am only giving this book one star because I could not finish this book. The lack of setting, the lack of character development, and the clunky plot development all contributed to making this book un-readable for me.

[rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the whole dystopian future idea and pretty much the whole premise of this book. What I didn't like was the often stilted writing style and the open, somewhat sappy ending. It's not that I needed it to end darkly, but I got the gross feeling that everything was on its way to goodness despite all of the ongoing hardship.

It's hard to say what exactly didn't sit right with me. Or maybe too many things didn't sit right. Regardless, I'd recommend this book for kids who want to get into science fiction. I like the historical slant and relatable (though sometimes one-dimensional) characters. It would also be good for teachers who want students to learn to question what is presented to them as Truth.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second time through this one. I really liked it the first time as well. 5 young people are chosen at random to participate in a reality TV re-creation of Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole. The unlikely and unprepared group has to pull together and learn each others' strengths in order to succeed. Working against them is the ratings-obsessed head of the Department of Entertainment which doubles as the Department of Education - education being limited to "teleschool" and stopping at age 14 unless you are lucky enough to win a lottery for secondary education. The five, who did not win the lottery but want more education, are aided by an unexpected source. Suitable for gr. 6-9.

[Parth Parikh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel "Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083" by Andrea White is truly an astounding book. The thrill while turning every page is extreme! While many people (including me) wouldn't necessarily choose this as their first preference to read, the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" truly applies. The reality show part didn't really catch me at first, but yet I picked this book to read. This was the right decision! The reality TV show was a very original and unique idea. Amazing thriller book!

The novel explains how a team of teenagers (14 year olds) get picked to be on a reality TV show located in Antarctica due to their many talents. Antarctica has some harsh weather which is a pretty major conflict in this book. Read this novel to enjoy each daring, thrilling page!

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really enjoyable book. It wasn't one that I couldn't put down (like the Inkheart trilogy) but I still thought it was really great! It wasn't depressing or stressful like I thought it was going to be, even though the kids were traveling through Antarctica. It also had a lot of history that I would have never learned about otherwise.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was a little weird i would not really recommend it.

[Amy Bearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 This was a quick, enjoyable read. I'd call it upper middle grade, not YA, though I liked it even as adult. I appreciated the history along with the science fiction elements.

[Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Book Ever

This was such an amazing book. I would absolutely read it again. I do recommend to others. Be warned many of my friends didn’t find the book as appealing as I did.

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has the "sense of realism", despite the plot line taking a few fantastic turns. The saying "The best fiction results from writers who skate that fine line- is it plausible? and write a tale that MIGHT happen" must apply here. Because this is a draw-you-in, breath taking story. This is suitable for readers of ages ten and up, though the dystopia White sketches here is one of the grimmest, this side of the movie "The Matrix". If you give this book to a young person, either supervise their reading or be sure they've finished 6th grade.
In the far future, the 2080s, our country has a powerful DOE or "Department of Entertainment", mainly to satisfy the large, widespread dependence of viewers on TV. Even schooling is delivered by TV, and cost cutting makes classes after age 14 rare. Millions of ill fated, unfortunate youth leave school at 8th grade. To be "lucky" is to either attend private high school, maybe college- or to win in the lottery for all 14 year olds...if you lose, no high school or college for you! And 5 such children, Robert, Andrew, Polly, Grace (a native American) & Billy apply to become Reality TV stars - after all, in ways their future is over.
The 5 are selected to "relive" the journey Robert Scott made to Antarctica, in 1910 and their adventure is broadcast by the government and DOE. Although the Scott expedition in the end, was ill prepared, Grace, Billy and the rest each bring some very particular, key skill to the journey. White has a strong sense of writing for young adults, and her imagination has concocted the simulation of the 1910 trip, calling it "Reality TV: Surviving Antarctica". One of the girls, at the start of the journey reads about Scott's historic trip while on the ship. And Polly's reading does help, as do the team of sled dogs, Primus stove, and frigid weather equipment given to them for this journey. At age fourteen, they must face weeks of travel over the icy Antarctic, and risk everything, including their lives.
Though each has a strength, this high stakes journey is the most enormous challenge Andrew, Grace or the others has faced in their lives. When I ended this cool, adventurous book, I was not into criticizing the tale, but perhaps if it were illustrated it would reach more children (Some simple every-9 or ten pages drawings....or a glossary of the terms of polar expeditions). This plausible book is excellent for any reader with a taste for futuristic adventure.

[Kyra T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Dull Dystopia

The book Surviving Antarctica opens in a dystopian future where school is taught by television. Children are educated up to the eighth grade. The main characters are five fourteen year olds who, through different circumstances, end up in Antarctica for a game show. The rest of the book details them attempting to survive and win the unbeatable game. Personally, I was not a fan of this book.
The story, despite the concept being very interesting to me, feels quite dull and slow. I had a very hard time connecting with and keeping focused on the book’s contents. The book seems very matter-of-fact with the events occurring and the characters sometimes feel as if they are much older than they actually are through their reactions to the various fairly traumatizing events that occur throughout their journey. In short, to me, the book felt rather gray to read and I had trouble keeping my attention on it for very long. I had to reread paragraphs several times to grasp what happened.
This book isn’t bad in the sense of plot, characters, or concept. The concept is actually very interesting to see what could happen in a future where school just isn’t necessary past the eighth grade. The characters have to rely on a dice to see what their futures could be. What turned me off to it was a personal distaste in how gray the environment and tone felt, how flat the voice was, and how little the characters truly reacted to their situation.