Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong

Armstrong, Jennifer. (1998). Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Edurance. New York: Crown. ISBN: 0375810498

Ernest Shackleton attempted to be the first man to make it to the South Pole. He tried in 1908 but failed only 100 miles from his goal. Before he could arrange another expedition, Amundsen reached the South Pole, followed less than a month later by Captain Robert F. Scott. Not only did this not deter Shackleton, but it galvanized him into striving for the first transcontinental Antarctic exploration. Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, met with misfortune quickly, becoming stuck in an ice floe, where it remained for five months before the ice crushed it into a massive pile of splinters and sank. Having already endured 5 months marooned in the ice, Shackleton’s crew would spend the next five months marooned on ice floe. Then, with summer in full swing, they began to march across the ice, taking the life boats and supplies to the open sea. There, the crew waged a fierce battle against the storms rowing to Elephant Island. Shakleton knew he couldn’t save all crew member aboard the lifeboats, so he and five others left the remainder of the crew on Elephant Island, while they took one boat into open waters, heading 800 miles to South Georgia Island, to bring back a rescue ship.

Shackleton did not succeed in his quest to transverse the continent, bit did survive one of the most amazing survival stories in maritime history.

Armstrong’s writing style is simple and straight forward, emphasizing each dramatic turn with vivid prose, re-creating an action pact story of determination and will on the part of the leader of the doomed expedition. Careful use of visual and verbal access features move the expedition along a breathless route of daily life for the crew of the Endeavor.

Armstrong has written every word of the story using the diaries and first hand interviews with the crew after rescuing, and other authorities cited in the bibliography. The photos, maps, and captions provide added detail to events as they happened, each photo taken to chronicle each step of the trip. An index allows for quick referral to any important details and boldface type used to index the photos.

All of these features and Armstrong’s obvious passion for her subject captures the heart and flavor of the journey, allowing the reader to accompany the crew vicariously, feeling the tension, despair, anger and elations along with the men.

From School Library JournalGrade 6 Up-Filled with intriguing details and written with dramatic style, this riveting account of the ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition reads like an adventure novel. In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton attempted to be the first explorer to cross Antarctica by foot "from sea to sea." On the eve of World War I, he set out with a crew of scientists and sailors on a specially designed ship, Endurance, but he and his team never reached their objective. The ship became entrapped in ice, and the men were forced to abandon their mission and try to survive in the brutally harsh Antarctic wasteland for 19 months. Thanks to Shackleton's leadership, the bravery of his crew, and a lot of luck, everyone survived. The astonishing circumstances of their ordeal include a treacherous hike across miles of frozen wasteland, an 800-mile open-boat journey through savage seas, and a perilous trek across the uncharted mountain ranges of South Georgia Island. Armstrong brings all of these experiences vividly to life, frequently using quotes from members of the expedition. Excellent black-and-white photographs taken during the journey document the entire adventure story. Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's Ice Story (Clarion, 1999) has larger and more plentiful photographs but Armstrong's text is far more engaging. Kimmel relates all of the facts skillfully, but Armstrong crafts them into an unforgettable story of true heroism and the triumph of the human spirit. A book that will capture the attention and imagination of any reader. Edward Sullivan, New York Public Library Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus ReviewsPLB 0-517-80014-4 Armstrong (The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan, 1996, etc.) narrates the incredible survival saga of Ernest Shackleton, who with a crew of 27 attempted to cross the Antarctic continent in 1914, and ended up trapped in their ship in the ice pack for seven months. When their ship was finally crushed by the ice they survived for another five months on the moving ice floes, traveled through storm-tossed seas to an uninhabited island, and were rescued, two years after they had set out, after Shackleton and five of his crew traveled 800 miles in an open boat to get help. This unbelievable story is enhanced by the vigorous prose; from the captivating introduction through the epilogue, it is the writing as much as the story that will rivet readers. The black-and-white photos, taken mostly on glass plates by the expedition's photographer, Frank Hurley, survived along with the men and are of exceptional quality. (maps, not seen, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Connections for this text are plentiful. Students could use this to begin or end any theme about exploration, survival, or even photography in early twentieth century. A great activity would be to have students write a list of what they would have kept as their “two pound limit.” Then, gather these items and weigh them to see if they stay under the two pound limit. Have those that fail, rewrite their list removing items to the bare essentials.

Have students write letters of encouragement to the crew members left behind on Elephant Island, describing what Shackleton endured during the 800 mile boat trip and the mountainous terrain covered to reach the whaling station. Have each student create a meal for the crews return or for the crews survival, using tuna as a substitute for seal. Make it one of the cold meals for safety. Have the students research ideas about new technology that would facilitate the crews survival (assuming they are still shipwrecked.)