Lost in the Pacific, 1942

Lost #1

by Tod Olson

"World War II, October 21, 1942. A B-17 bomber drones high over the Pacific Ocean, sending a desperate SOS into the air. The crew is carrying America's greatest living war hero on a secret mission deep into the battle zone. But the plane is lost, burning through its final gallons of fuel. At 1:30 p.m., there is only one choice left: an emergency landing at sea. If the crew survives the impact, they will be left stranded without food or water hundreds of miles from civilization. Eight men. Three inflatable rafts. Sixty-eight million square miles of ocean. What will it take to make it back alive?--Provided by publisher.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Middle Grade, Survival, World War II, Adventure, War

168 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2016

About the author

Tod Olson is author of the historical fiction series HOW TO GET RICH, a Booklist Top Ten Series Non Fiction for Youth selection (don't tell them, but it's fiction). The first two books in his narrative nonfiction series, LOST, are now available. Tod lives with his family in Vermont and holds an MFA from Vermont College of the Fine Arts.

Reviews

[Melissa Colby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, easy read about a WWII plane crash with a famous ace pilot from WWI, but it wasn't nearly as inspiring as Unbroken. In Unbroken, Louie is a true hero and an admirable character. Lost tells the story of Rickenbacker and the other people on his plane and he just doesn't have the fun personality of Louie Zamperini. Rickenbacker's personality was much more domineering and he did not develop healthy relationships with his comrades; they all hated him by the end of the experience because of his bossy personality. It shows how big a difference attitude and good leadership make on a situation. I'm definitely a Zamperini fan.

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

بعضی افراد برای اینکه زندگیشون نجات پیدا کنه به یه قهرمان نیاز دارند، اما عده ای از این افراد در شریط سخت، خودشون به قهرمان خودشون تبدیل میشن از شرایط فوق سخت، موفق بیرون میان. اما بعدش نویسنده کاری میکنه که شما فکر کنی که فقط شانس باعث موفقیت این افراد شده!
نویسنده سوالات جالبی میپرسه که باعث میشه به تمام کلیشه های اولیه قهرمان ها داستان فکر کنی و دقیق تر بهش نگاه کنی. آیا گرسنگی، تشنگی و نا امیدی به رفتار های قهرمانانه منجر میشه یا فقط نشون میده که ما انسانیم؟
پلات داستان در زمان جنگ جهانی دوم اتفاق می افته که یه هواپیما بمب افکن در مسیری برای انجام یک ماموریت مخفی بوده که گم میشه و پیدا کردن سوخت هم براش غیر ممکنه میشه. خلبان وسط اقیانوس آرام فرود اضطراری انجام میده و 8 نفر بر روی سه قایق نجات ازش خارج میشن. چون با عجله داشتن از هواپیما خارج میشدن، فراموش میکنن که آب یا غذا با خودشون بیارن. 21 روز بعدی از اتفاق فقط حسرت میخورن، در حالی که وسط اقیانوس گیر کردن و دورشون کوسه ها در حال چرخش اند، زیر آفتاب دارن میسوزن و فقط کمی آب دارن و 4 عدد پرتغال. کسی نمیدونه اونا کجا و اونا هم راه ارتباطی با جهان ندارن. کم کم این افراد تصمیمات سختی مجبور میشن بگیرن که با شرایط چه کار کنن.
داستان خوب و جذاب پیش میره و در نهایت 7 نفر از اونها نجات پیدا میکنن و بر میگردن تا داستانشون رو تعریف کنن.
نثرش ساده س، تعلیق های خوبی داره و سرعت پیشروی مناسبی هم داره.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been lucky enough to have survived Hurricane Katrina, I am often drawn to true stories of survival against all odds. While it is true that humans seem to need heroes or gravitate to their own version of why others somehow survive situations that are almost unendurable, in the end, it may come down to luck as the author points out in the conclusion. He writes, posing questions that will haunt readers and possibly remind them to question everything, even the heroes that are trotted out by government officials before our naive eyes, "...it's also a behind-the-scenes look at how heroes are made. Do we want to believe that six people survived because they had Eddie Rickenbacker on board? Or were they just lucky not to have gone into the ordeal in a weakened state like Alex? Do hunger, thirst, and desperation really lead to great acts of heroism? Or do they expose us for what we really are--simply humans?" (p. 168). Thoughtful readers will continue to think about those questions long after finishing this engaging book. The author spares little detail and doesn't waste much time before putting readers right into that plane, a B-17 bomber on route to a secret mission during WWII. The plane becomes lost, making it impossible to find fuel. The pilot makes an emergency landing into the Pacific Ocean, and all eight men scramble aboard three life rafts. In the rush to scramble from the plane to the rafts, they neglect to bring water or food. For the next 21 days, the men have plenty of reasons to regret that decision as the float, surrounded by sharks, broiled in the unrelenting sun, with only a tiny amount of water and four oranges. No one knows where they are, and they have no way to get in touch with the outside world. Readers will feel as though they are bobbing in those small crafts, slowly starving to death and becoming increasingly frustrated with the rest of the party, with hope for rescue waxing and waning. When the men in two of the rafts decide to head off on their own, near the end of the book, it is hard to know whether that was the right decision. The author does a great job of focusing most of the attention on these men, seven of whom lived to tell the tale, and not on what was going on back home. He also points out that the survivors of the Juneau, a ship that was hit by a torpedo right after these men were rescued, was very different than that of the men in this story, most likely because of the presence of the famous aviator, Rickenbacker. That observation provides room for rumination too, leaving readers to question many decisions made during wartime as well as pondering the value of one human life, a famous human being, over another ones. Middle graders will devour this one while appreciating the photographs that are included.

[Kat V · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REALLY liked this. Wouldn’t recommend for elementary school because it does get dark at times but I thought it was good for a children’s nonfiction book. 4.4 stars

[Colin King · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of this book is that you should never give up all hope. This is showed by the amazing survival story of WWII pilots that had to have to do a water landing in the Pacific and all but 1 of them survived the trecherous conditions on the rafts in the ocean.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was action packed

[Bobby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great historical fiction book, I rated this five stars, something that needs to be in your hands!

[Kim Bahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread for a book talk (originally read in 2016)

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A narrative nonfiction of what happened to eight people who crash landed in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. An incredible story of grit and survival.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

World War II is a topic of perennial interest to me as are survival stories. This book happens to be both. This is the story of a group of U.S. soldiers on assignment to deliver a special passenger to the Pacific theater. While everything started normally, several things happened that lead to the crew and plane getting lost over the Pacific. They did everything in their power to find the island they were supposed to land on, but despite contact with the island and numerous efforts to discover their location, the plane eventually ran out of fuel and had to be set down on the ocean. Preparations for ditching the plane had been made, but in the rush to get out of the plane, most supplies, including all available drinking water and extra food were left behind on the plane. Using photographs, quotes, and first hand accounts, the author takes the reader on a remarkable journey with the eight individuals who suffered on the ocean on tiny rafts for three weeks. I appreciated the compelling story, but also the author's honesty. As the circumstances worsened, the eight men did not get along which is not surprising considering the stress of the situation. And even when they (all but one) survived they didn't all of a sudden have a close bond with each other. Unfortunately, the special passenger was famous, but not known for his tact or kindness. Eddie Rickenbacker rather bullied the others into surviving. Was that the best method? I can't say, I wasn't there, but it's something to think about and it's something that the author brings up in his author's note at the end of the book.. I really appreciated the author's note because Olson explains the problems with writing accounts of historical events based on the flawed memories of participants. This would be a great thing to share with students when discussing writing nonfiction. Overall,, Olson has created a very readable, compelling account of a little known event. He also does a nice job of placing the event in context of the numbers of men dying in the war at the time.

[Emerson Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

In World War II, October 21, 1942 a B17 bomber with eight men aboard is coasting high above the Pacific Ocean. These men were Colonel Hans Adamson, Lieutenant John Deangelis, Sergeant James Reynolds, Captain Bill Cherry, Lieutenant Jim Whittaker, Sergeant Alex Kaczmarczyk, Private Johnny Bartek, and the most respected Colonel in World War I, Eddie Rickenbacker.
They're are on a secret mission deep into the war zone. Until they miss their fuel stop. They are lost, burning into their last fuel. They only have one option. They have to make an emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean. All the crew survives the crash and only have three life boats in a bottomless murky sea full of hungry sharks. They have no water and only three oranges to live off of for who knows how long.
The men have to survive at sea with only getting six ounces of water a day. They realize that they might not make it out of that life boat alive and start thinking about what they would do if they survive this hard time. They have to take those desperate measures to stay alive.
In this book readers will learn about faith. The men said they all had faith in the Lord that they were going to make it out of this and kept fighting.
They only had each other to give each other faith and strength. They thought that they were going to die but their faith in the Lord kept them fighting. It would be so hard having to rely on something you couldn't see while trying to survive in the middle of the ocean, but that’s what these men did and that is amazing. Tod Olson writes in ways that make you feel like you experienced it with them.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Lost in the Pacific, 1942, Tod Olson relates the harrowing tale of the crew of a B-17 bomber that crash landed in the Pacific Ocean after getting off course due to broken navigational instruments. The drama of the story is in the details, and relates the crew's struggle to survive against such odds: experiencing trauma from such a sudden impact in the ocean, rescuing people and supplies and boarding flimsy canvas and rubber rafts, working together to share precious few rations, learning how to salvage fresh water from falling rain, and struggling to survive against harsh conditions of shipwreck, including sharks. The brave men in The Army Air Corps worked together and stayed together for most of their 22 day ordeal. In the words of Adelaide, Eddie Rickenbacker's wife, "Never, never give up hope!" (p.142)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

After issues with their first B-17 take-off on a transport mission, the ill-fated, 8-man crew was ordered onto a second B-17 without being allowed to complete regular maintenance checks. The direction finder crank was broken, making it so the antenna couldn’t move to find signals from Canton Island (or any island for that matter), their destination. They were lost in the Pacific Ocean, with nowhere to land. This is a really good middle-grade, non-fiction read! Who doesn’t love a tale of survival against all odds??
Popsugar Reading Challenge: A Book Featuring a Man-Made Disaster.

[Christie Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adventure of dramatized nonfiction feels like "I Survived" for grownups. I started reading on my own, but my kids were so interested that I read it to them out loud. They struggled to remember who was who, and I skipped over a few things, but the action and adventure captured them, and they were eager to ask questions about history and study the map and pictures with me. It turned into an excellent impromptu history lesson.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was a great and very inspirational true story I loved how when they thought they all had no hope one person came to be the leader and encourage each of them to not give up and that they would be found.

[Logan Chaput · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting. I learned a lot reading this book. I think it is cool how each character has such different personalities. If you are into reading World War II story or survival stories than this would be a book I would recommend.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a amazing story of pilots following a plane crash working together to survive in a harsh climate and tough circumstances.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little repetitive and overly descriptive at times, but a great story about determination and survival.

[Jonathan gandara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rate this book a 5 because I like the story of it I also like history and it took me 2 weeks to finished it but it such a good book I prefer you to read it.

[Julie Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids enjoyed it, had to change some language to more kid-friendly while reading aloud. I know very little about the Pacific side of WWII, this barely scratched the surface.

[Kevin Keating · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty solid book. Had no idea that Rickenbacker was lost at sea. It sounds horrible and it was. Engaging the whole way through.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping true story from World War II. I read it with a small group of students and they loved it.
Highly recommded for grades 8-10.

[Jessica Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in one sitting. Couldn't put it down. great story of survival during WWII.

[Louie Bartlett]

This books make me think of all the planes that have crashed but were never found. Great book that tells the story of the crew against there struggle to survive.

[Anthony Colocho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost is a good because this book is based on a true story told in 1942 during world war two. A mission plane is sent through the pacific on a secret mission the plane crashes and it's lost.

[Selina Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, easy and interesting read. A good book for anyone interested in history and WW2. Only thing that annoyed me is that the font randomly changed throughout the book 😂

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome true story of bravery! loved it!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The true story of the crash and water landing of a B-17 bomber over the Pacific Ocean in October of 1942. The crew members managed to pile into 3 different rafts when the plane hit the water. But then they had to survive with very little food and no water in 68 million square miles of ocean. No one knows where they are, so chances of rescue are extremely slim. The account is written in a straight timeline, no flash-backs to predict who will live or die or what will happen, so readers are kept riveted in suspense.
For those who like Hatchet-type survival stories - but on the ocean instead of in the jungle. The author uses as many of the first person accounts that were available as well as using multiple other sources (books, magazines, newspapers) for background about that time period. A good hi-lo book.

[Grace Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book at times was difficult to read for me but I did really like the plot, action, and the fact that it is based on a true story.
This book is about 8 war men who are traveling in a B-17 bomber over the Pacific during World War II. During their flight they lose sight of their destination on their map and are running low on fuel. They think of many strategies but come to one conclusion of landing in the Pacific. All men survive the crash and make it to the life rafts. The problem? The men panicked during the crash and left all resources in the sinking plane. They were all stranded in sixty-eight million square miles of ocean with no food, water, or shelter. All they had was each other. Who would survive?
I thought this book could use some work. It was hard to tell who was narrating the story at points and the characters got confusing on who was who sometimes. I always had to flip to the first page which described each character and who they were. Although, I did like the plot of this book. I liked how the author let us know a little background of each character and what their home life was like. I really like survival and adventure books and this was one of them. The fact that this was a true story made it very interesting and I liked how there was pictures in the book of the real survivors. Some things I think people could really learn from this book is to never give up, that your friends will always have your back, and when everything goes wrong all you need is a little hope. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books about wars and survival.

[Joy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

good story for Non-fiction recommendation