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Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Was Ernest Shackleton?
As a boy he preferred reading sea stories to doing homework and, at age 16, became an apprentice seaman. Subsequently, Ernest Shackleton’s incredible journeys to the South Pole in the early 1900s made him one of the most famous explorers of modern times. His courage in the face of dangerous conditions and unforeseeable tragedies reveal the great leader that he was. His historic 1914 journey aboard the Endurance has all the drama of an action movie.
112 pages, Paperback
First published December 26, 2013
49 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
James Buckley Jr.
297 books70 followersIn addition to his work as a professional editor, James Buckley, Jr., is also the author of many books on American sports that are geared toward young fans and budding athletes.
Buckley, who has founded a company called Shoreline Publishing Group to produce books for reluctant readers, maintains that sports are far more than simple hobbies or ways to burn off excess energy.
Buckley, who has founded a company called Shoreline Publishing Group to produce books for reluctant readers, maintains that sports are far more than simple hobbies or ways to burn off excess energy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
February 11, 2018
My son has been reading this book out loud to me since he discovered I was listening to an audiobook on Shackleton. I can’t say enough about this wonderful children’s series that brings to life so many important people. Excellent intro to non-fiction for elementary school readers.
*I should add upon finishing the audio, I choose this book instead. Factual, succinct information here about an incredible test of strength and endurance for Shackleton and his men. This little book proved more interesting to me than Endurance: Shackleton’s incredible voyage
*I should add upon finishing the audio, I choose this book instead. Factual, succinct information here about an incredible test of strength and endurance for Shackleton and his men. This little book proved more interesting to me than Endurance: Shackleton’s incredible voyage
February 25, 2021
Ernest Shackleton has one of the most interesting and insane stories I’ve ever heard. I don’t understand how he survived Antarctica so long and kept all his men alive, especially with all the obstacles they ran into, but it’s clear his leadership skills made the difference. Everyone should learn about his story.
March 27, 2017
Ernest Shackleton was kind of a modern explorer, because when he sailed in the early 1900s, most of the planet had been discovered already. I was still interested to learn about Antarctica and the courage it took to sail down there, knowing it's the coldest place on the planet. The book was satisfying enough - now I want to learn more about him and his expedition! Don't want to say any more (spoiler alerts)!
April 20, 2017
This book is very interesting because this book told me a lot about Shackleton and I did not even know one thing about this guy. I learned that he was a Antarctic explore and he was around ice most of his life. (I just think that is so cool).
March 17, 2018
For me, who is studying English on my own, this book was easy and interesting. By the way, I love this series of books "Who was...?"
December 29, 2015
I quite enjoyed learning more about this explorer of the freezing cold. This book was more interesting to me than the Abigail Adams book since I knew (in the recesses of my mind) most of her story and Shackleton's story was for the most part a new bit of history to me.
The writing is simple and engaging. Kids will enjoy his adventures living in a boat and on ice for months on end. The illustrations are very well done and really enhance the text.
At the end of the book are two timelines, one of his life and one of world events. There is a bibliography that includes several websites. Nothing listed is specifically geared toward children but students 5th grade and up should find the websites interesting and informative.
Review first posted on my blog (along with reviews of two other book in the series): http://rinasreading.blogspot.com/2014...
The writing is simple and engaging. Kids will enjoy his adventures living in a boat and on ice for months on end. The illustrations are very well done and really enhance the text.
At the end of the book are two timelines, one of his life and one of world events. There is a bibliography that includes several websites. Nothing listed is specifically geared toward children but students 5th grade and up should find the websites interesting and informative.
Review first posted on my blog (along with reviews of two other book in the series): http://rinasreading.blogspot.com/2014...
April 12, 2020
I love just about anything to do with Ernest Shackleton! He was an amazing man, and I love to learn more.
This book is a great introduction to Shackleton's story. The only thing that I don't care for is how difficult it can be to read the small, squished font of the comic sections. I love the story, and I think the author did a good job fitting the story to an introductory, younger audience. There are other books about Shackleton I like better, but I like how this one tells more about the man in a biography format.
4/11/2020 I must have a short memory because I just reread this and thought it was for the first time. I guess this is why some of it seemed familiar!! Haha!
I think the beginning of this book is chunked strangely, making it difficult for kids to understand. The 'comic' sections, as I called them above, would be better left until a little later in the book, once the main story was well-established.
This book is a great introduction to Shackleton's story. The only thing that I don't care for is how difficult it can be to read the small, squished font of the comic sections. I love the story, and I think the author did a good job fitting the story to an introductory, younger audience. There are other books about Shackleton I like better, but I like how this one tells more about the man in a biography format.
4/11/2020 I must have a short memory because I just reread this and thought it was for the first time. I guess this is why some of it seemed familiar!! Haha!
I think the beginning of this book is chunked strangely, making it difficult for kids to understand. The 'comic' sections, as I called them above, would be better left until a little later in the book, once the main story was well-established.
March 25, 2020
Who Was Ernest Shackleton? by James Buckley Jr. tells the story of a boy who was born to explore and experience adventures on a grand scale. He always had a fascination for ships and as soon as he turned sixteen he managed to sign on as an apprentice seaman. He developed and honed his skills during a time when there were many other explorers trying to be the first to reach the North Pole and then the South Pole. Most of his focus was on the South Pole as the North Pole had already been achieved. His first attempt for the South Pole was as a crew member with another explorer that ended in failure. The author shares the results of his research through Shackleton's several attempts to reach the Pole including the most serious one that turned into a failure followed by an epic struggle for survival for which he is widely known. Well-researched and presented in an easy-to-read book that covers the highs and lows in the life of this famous explorer.
February 5, 2017
“I wanted to be free. I wanted to escape from a routine which didn´t at all agree with my nature…” – Ernest Shackleton
April 28, 2018
My first book read for today’s Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon! A book I will share with my grandson! A nicely written story of one of my heroes!
January 10, 2019
This was a very interesting and fun biography book to read. I enjoyed it a lot and I definitely recommend you to read the book.
February 5, 2020
I loved it.
May 4, 2022
I had higher hopes for this one.
March 22, 2019
The actual story of Ernest Shackleton is fairly interesting (minus the unmentioned selfishness of continuously leaving his wife and young children in his search for notoriety). However, this book in the Who Was series really bothered me.
1. The illustator obviously did not read the story he was illustrating. Page 31: The age difference between the first 2 children is less than 2 years but the image shows a baby and preschool-age kid. Page 35: supposed to show the family on board the ship with the King & Queen in 1907. Child 1 would be age 2, child 2 would be 1, and child 3 wasn't born for another 4 years. The image shows child 3 to be about 4 years old and the older two to be 8-10. Page 92: Shackleton reunites with family in 1917. At this point the children would be 12, 11, and 6. The children don't look accurate for their age & the middle child (girl) appears older than the oldest child.
2. The seasons in the southern hemisphere are opposite of the northern hemisphere, but the author spoke of the Endurance sinking from the massive ice in November and having to wait for the ice to melt in Spring (April 9, when they supposedly left). According to an USAToday article about Antarctica travel, late December through March is considered the summer, with March-May considered fall. I understand that this gaff may have been purposeful to allow the younger readers to understand more easily, but surely the author could've used the correct terminology and included a sidebar to explain varying seasons in the hemispheres *or* just worded it differently to avoid confusion for the readers who already understood.
1. The illustator obviously did not read the story he was illustrating. Page 31: The age difference between the first 2 children is less than 2 years but the image shows a baby and preschool-age kid. Page 35: supposed to show the family on board the ship with the King & Queen in 1907. Child 1 would be age 2, child 2 would be 1, and child 3 wasn't born for another 4 years. The image shows child 3 to be about 4 years old and the older two to be 8-10. Page 92: Shackleton reunites with family in 1917. At this point the children would be 12, 11, and 6. The children don't look accurate for their age & the middle child (girl) appears older than the oldest child.
2. The seasons in the southern hemisphere are opposite of the northern hemisphere, but the author spoke of the Endurance sinking from the massive ice in November and having to wait for the ice to melt in Spring (April 9, when they supposedly left). According to an USAToday article about Antarctica travel, late December through March is considered the summer, with March-May considered fall. I understand that this gaff may have been purposeful to allow the younger readers to understand more easily, but surely the author could've used the correct terminology and included a sidebar to explain varying seasons in the hemispheres *or* just worded it differently to avoid confusion for the readers who already understood.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2019
As this is the first book I've read in this series so I figured I should start with someone I knew well. Obviously when I found there was one about Shackleton I knew that was the one I needed to read!
This book does a good job giving the facts in plain simple ways that a younger reader can understand and enjoy without dumbing any of it down. Nothing is left out of this story- it details Shackleton's life and adventures well. I look forward to the day my nephew is old enough to read it.
The only downside I would say is that while I loved all the extra info included (little snippets about the other arctic explorers and their voyages, wildlife of the arctic, etc.) I was disappointed with the placement of it. Often it was stuck in the middle of a chapter on a two page spread; in one instance I was turning the page to finish a sentence and instead found two pages on how surveying equipment works.
That said this is a book about my hero and it did him justice. I cried several times reading these pages (what can I say? I'm emotional when it comes to Shackleton). I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to find out more about this amazing explorer :3
This book does a good job giving the facts in plain simple ways that a younger reader can understand and enjoy without dumbing any of it down. Nothing is left out of this story- it details Shackleton's life and adventures well. I look forward to the day my nephew is old enough to read it.
The only downside I would say is that while I loved all the extra info included (little snippets about the other arctic explorers and their voyages, wildlife of the arctic, etc.) I was disappointed with the placement of it. Often it was stuck in the middle of a chapter on a two page spread; in one instance I was turning the page to finish a sentence and instead found two pages on how surveying equipment works.
That said this is a book about my hero and it did him justice. I cried several times reading these pages (what can I say? I'm emotional when it comes to Shackleton). I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to find out more about this amazing explorer :3
October 24, 2017
The Who Was…? biography series are perfect for elementary or intermediate age students interested learning about the featured person for an assignment or just for an exciting read. The afterward portion in this edition has a timeline on one side showing key events in Ernest Shackleton's life and the opposite page shows worldwide key events during the same time period. Making for an interesting comparison and will help readers get a better feel for what else was happening at those times.
Additional note: Usually I am blown away with the amount of information that is squeezed into these mini-chapter books. However, this one was not as informative as some of the picture books I have read on Shackleton.
Additional note: Usually I am blown away with the amount of information that is squeezed into these mini-chapter books. However, this one was not as informative as some of the picture books I have read on Shackleton.
August 17, 2020
Interesting. He died quite young and it seems he spent more time gone than at home.
Ernest was obsessed with the sea and exploration. Since he was born in the late 1800s, exploration was pretty much limited to the Poles. He went on several expeditions to the South Pole. I don't know that he ever reached it, but he did manage to keep alive his own expedition, even after their ship was crushed in ice and sank.
I wonder what drives some people to explore, push out, seek adventure?
Ernest was interesting not because of what he accomplished (others actually arguably did more), but because he actually saved the lives of people he was with.
Ernest was obsessed with the sea and exploration. Since he was born in the late 1800s, exploration was pretty much limited to the Poles. He went on several expeditions to the South Pole. I don't know that he ever reached it, but he did manage to keep alive his own expedition, even after their ship was crushed in ice and sank.
I wonder what drives some people to explore, push out, seek adventure?
Ernest was interesting not because of what he accomplished (others actually arguably did more), but because he actually saved the lives of people he was with.
June 1, 2021
This was an interesting little read. I have never heard of Ernest Shackleton before.
I wanted more from the reading, but I understand this is a children's book. I decided to do more outside research on my own though.
In the book, the advertisement Ernest put in the newspaper to recruit men who were willing to explore Antartica with him intrigued me.
This is what it said
"Men wanted
For hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months, of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success."
I wanted more from the reading, but I understand this is a children's book. I decided to do more outside research on my own though.
In the book, the advertisement Ernest put in the newspaper to recruit men who were willing to explore Antartica with him intrigued me.
This is what it said
"Men wanted
For hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months, of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success."
August 8, 2019
I already have a basic knowledge of Ernest Shackleton having watched the TV series about him several years ago. I found this book to be a great read aloud for our family. The chapters are the perfect length to read aloud and it is packed full of information about his life and paid special attention to the time on the Endurance.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Shackleton.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Shackleton.
who-hq
May 15, 2020Made three trips to Antarctica. His first trip was with Robert Falcon Scott (who later lost race to reach South Pole by a few weeks). Travelled the furthest to South Pole before Norwegian expedition of Roald Amundsen reached South Pole in 1911. On third expedition, his ship sank. His crew camped out on the ice in Antarctica for a few months before rowing to nearby land in lifeboats. All of the crew survived. Died while on the way for fourth trip to Antarctica.
January 11, 2019
I chose the book because I just wanted to learn about someone else's life. Ernest Shackleton was one of the many people who ventured Antarctica but without having to have a crew member die on the ship to and from the South Pole. This book did surprise me on how harsh it used to be to survive on the frozen ice lands.
June 23, 2021
I have learned many things about Ernest Shackleton by reading this book. He was a determined man and a good leader as well as organizer. This is an interesting read that I would suggest to anyone who knows little to nothing about the man.
July 23, 2015
This is a much more typical children's biography. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, except possibly that it gives the ending away in the prologue, but neither is it particularly inspired. It benefits, however, from having a fabulous story to tell.
May 24, 2019
I really enjoy this series! I was amazed at how Shackleton led his crew in such extreme circumstances. He boosted morale, kept them alive, and led with excellence. Too bad he wasn't the same kind of leader with his own family.
March 20, 2018
A great book, and not to hard to read.
March 21, 2018
My favorite chapter 7 because they went to a camp
August 7, 2018
What accomplishments!
November 18, 2018
I like the thoroughness of these books.
March 25, 2019
Interesting overview of the drive Ernest had for adventure and his harrowing tale of his adventures at trying to get to the south pole.
May 30, 2019
Read for a book club Learned a lot about him, hadn't known much before.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews