Ice Story: Shackleton's Lost Expedition

by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

This dramatic, suspenseful narrative reads like an adventure story-but it is true. In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and a twenty-seven-man crew set off on an expedition to reach and cross Antarctica. Just a month and a half into the voyage, their ship, the Endurance, was caught fast in heavy pack ice. The men had no radio contact, and no one knew where they were or even that they were in trouble. None of them should have survived the ordeal that followed-unstable ice floes, treacherous waters, freezing temperatures, and starvation. Only the extraordinary leadership, courage, and strength of Shackleton brought the whole team safely through. Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's clear, compelling text is illustrated with photographs, taken and carefully preserved by the ship's photographer, that record the stark condition and the day-to-day activities of the men. Hand-drawn maps that show the extraordinary route of the Endurance and her crew. Bibliography, index.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Biography, Survival, Juvenile

128 pages, Hardcover

First published February 16, 1999

Reviews

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The telling of this story is so creative

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, brief retelling of the Shacklelton story - kind of a Cliff Notes version of what Kimmel calls "perhaps the greatest misadventure the world has ever known - with a few new facts and useful additions, most notably the maps of his landing on and crossing of South Georgia Island which would have been so helpful in Caroline Alexander's otherwise-flawless The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition.

Another nice touch - Kimmel begins and ends the book with two pretty nice quotes. Up front is this verse from St. John Lucas:

We are the fools who could not rest,
In the dull earth we left behind,
But burned with passion for the South
And drank strange frenzy from its wind.
The world where wise men live at east
Fades from out unregretful eyes,
And blind across uncharted seas
We stagger on our enterprise.

...and she then closes the book with a somewhat more famous quote from Sir Edmund Hillary, who aside from conquering Everest was coincidentally a member of the team which fifty years after Shackleton's failed journey completed the first trans-antarctic crossing:

"For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton."

[Erin G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an upper - elementary school book, the author did a fine job. I am only writing a review to point out 2 things. First, when she wrote about the killer whales, I couldn't tell if she was reflecting the views of the day or current views. If she was writing that the killer whales were really threatening based on modern perspectives of killer whales, she really missed the mark. Orcas rarely, if ever, attack humans in the wild. Secondly, her chapter briefly discussing Shackleton's wife seemed out of place with the rest of the book and I struggled to understand why it was so important for the author to include it. In the end, I felt the brief chapter did a disservice to Lady Shackleton.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adventure. There were so many obstacles against Shackleton and his Antarctic journey, again and again, it is an absolutely amazing story (in only 120 pages, accompanied by actual photographs!).
Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, gets caught in a sea of ice as it freezes around the ship. They plan on waiting out the thaw, but the ice crushes and sinks the Endurance. They have no way to contact anyone or get any help. No one knows exactly where they are or that they are even in danger. They must set out on foot to travel hundreds of miles to the closest town. I would have just given up. And this is just the beginning of their trials!
Read it and be thankful for your fleece blanket!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strengths of this book are the readability of the text and the numerous photographs. The photographs really help the reader appreciate the pickle that Shackleton and his crew found themselves in. This is the book that I plan to share with my fifth graders, simply because it's so readable. I did notice that some of the things the author includes don't quite line up with other accounts. However most of these things are minor and the inconsistencies are to be expected based on the sources used. Plus, no group of people, even those who experience the same thing, are going to see or experience it in exactly the same way. Recommended.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strong 5! One of the most amazing stories I have ever read. I was touched through out the story with the incredible endurance and strength of Shackleton and his team of men. I would like to read Shackleton's own account of the experience as well as other crew members. A fabulous account attesting to true optimism, endurance and hope in the face of terrible circumstances. A very well written story also.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't even imagine spending two years of your life attempting to explore Antarctica and then getting shipwrecked at the bottom of the world and living to tell the tale. Until you read the story of Ernest Shackleton and his crew's amazing feats of courage and survival, you will never fully appreciate how amazing it is that they lived to tell the tale.

[Jrobertus · Rating 3 out of 5]

another accounting of the amazing, but true story of the 1914 shackleton expedition to the antarctic, their entrapment in the ice and heroic escape to s. georgia. it is too amazing to be fiction.

[Carli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teaching this book in my 7th grade classes
Shackleton's ill-fated expedition to Antarctica
especially love how it focuses on the providential events that led to their survival

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

got read to me for school. Pretty awesome.

[Najae]

good good good i love it!

[Carrie Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I borrowed this book, the librarian said this was one of the books they always took to schools when they did outreach. Small wonder.

[Ashra · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO INTERESTING!!!!!

I had no idea that such a spectacular failure (or perhaps it was a success?) of a voyage ever occurred in the Arctic. But, WOW. Everything goes wrong! And yet, a number of things work out just so that they survive in the end. All of them.

My one gripe is I wish we had more clear notations about what facts came from the men's diaries, and I honestly wish we saw more of the diaries themselves, since presumably they were a huge part of how this trip was logged.

Thank you to this book for introducing me to Shackleton. Now I need a theatrical production about The Endurance. It's be SO COOL. The drama!!! The horrors!!! The miracles!!! I need it!! Maybe if I yell loud enough someone will hear me.

[Sarah Babkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, intended for upper elementary, with fabulous photos included from Hurley and maps from Shackleton’s memoirs to help illustrate the men’s journey. The chapter about Shackleton’s wife seemed a bit out of place - probably could have put it earlier to help establish his drive to explore Antarctica? - but otherwise a great read about a fascinating story.

[Marian Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

At a very short 100 pages, this was a perfect introductory book that satisfied my interest in Shackleton, a man and tale I’d heard referred to for many years. The photos alone are enough to check out this junior book. The author’s tone was respectful toward the expedition leaders and crew, as it should be, but sometimes fell into sentimentality.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having never before found anything the least bit interesting or intriguing about exploration, but having just read a couple of books about the siege of Leningrad, I found the human survival aspect a sort of magnet. After all, we could, any one of us, in a moment, be plunged into extreme, life-threatening circumstances. How would we react? Would we rise or fall to the challenge? Ice Story is the incredible account of an amazing man. It is a tribute to one who put his crew's safety above that of his own. A must-read!

[Wesley Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring and haunting tale of Antarctic survival. This story is truly epic; a real-life Odyssey. It is well-written for adults and young adults. I was so moved by the heroic displays of courage, perseverance, hope, discipline, loyalty, hard labor, and mental strength. I highly recommend this telling which is easily read in a few short hours.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this story followed an interesting expedition, I found it hard to read. The way the author wrote the book made it hard to get through. I am not a huge fan of non fiction, but there are some books in that genre that are good. This was not one of them. I wish it had been slightly more concise, and shorter.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was listening to the audiobook Endurance, which is about Shackleton's expedition, when I stumbled across this at the library. The photographer in the crew was mentioned regularly and I wanted to see his photos so I checked out the book. While Endurance tells a better tale and gives a more thorough description of daily life, this book is excellent for a younger crowd or as a companion

[Abs · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really interesting to learn more about the Shackleton Expedition. I first learned about Shackleton through the Cragbridge Hall series; I found the brief rebelling of his story very interesting and wanted to learn more, but didn't get around to it until my dad got the book from the library. This was a great read and I highly recommend it!

[Barbara Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book as a read-aloud with gifted primary children. The writing style was engaging and kept the interest of the children through every page. The photographs helped tell the story of Shackleton--and what a story it is!

[Michelle Van Matre-Keis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved learning about this adventure....the writing was dry. Repetitious at points. They killed the last dog ...they killed the last dog. I think if the writing style would have been different, it could have been a five star.

[Terrance Zepke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm an adventurer and I've been to Antarctica so I really enjoyed this book. Cannot believe the conditions in which they endured and the obstacles they overcame. Absolutely incredible true life story!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so cool to read an adventure story about heroes and have it be real. Also, good literary devices used in an info-text.

[Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only heard about Shackleton, never read anything until now. An amazing story.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Adventure book for middle school.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick read of an amazing story. Very well written, fast paced and well worth the read. Full of pictures from the expedition. Check it out!

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting. loved the pictures.

[Sara]

It's a fascinating story, and this is a quick read with lots of pictures