Magellan: And the First Voyage Around the World

by Nancy Smiler Levinson

Determined to find a new and better route to Asia and the distant and profitable Spice Islands, Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain in 1519 on what would become the history-making first circumnavigation of the world. Magellan himself did not complete the journey—he was killed by a poison arrow while on the Pacific island of Mactan—but the expedition he mounted forever changed the course of human exploration. Details of the journey, including Magellan’s tools of navigation, the political battles for control over the valuable islands of the Pacific, and Magellan’s final moments in battle, are all vividly portrayed

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2001

About the author

Nancy Smiler Levinson was born in 1938 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, she worked as a reporter, researcher, editor, and Head Start teacher before taking time to raise her two children. It was while reading to her kids when they were toddlers that Levinson first became interested in writing for young people, and in 1981 she published her first novel for young readers, World of Her Own. The first of many critically acclaimed biographies came in 1981, and since then Levinson has written a variety of well-received fiction and nonfiction for beginning readers as well as middle grade and young adult audiences.

Levinson has also contributed articles and stories to such publications as Seventeen magazine, Highlights for Children, Library Journal, and the Los Angeles Times. She has been a tutor for disabled children. She lives in California, where she enjoys reading and attending theater and symphonies.

Reviews

[Darren Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable read that gives you a glimpse into Magellan's life. I get the feeling that the next movie producer and actors who play out Magellan's life in the big screen will succeed in the box office.

I would preferred to have some more bibliographic reference in the pages. There is so much of Magellan's journey that I wanted to review the source of the material rather than the author's candid retelling (which I still appreciated, this didn't count against the experience of the read).

I would love to read something that goes into more depth into Magellan's life, but this book is an enjoyable recount!