1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Armstrong, Jennifer. 1998. SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD: THE EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORY OF SHACKLETON AND THE ENDURANCE. New York, New York. Crown Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0517800136.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD: THE EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORY OF SHACKLETON AND THE ENDURANCE is the inconceivable survival account of Ernest Shackleton, who endeavors to cross the Antarctic continent in 1914. Shackleton, with his crew of twenty-seven men, ends up confined on an ice pack for seven months. When the ice finally crushes Ernest Shackleton’s ship, he and crew survives another five months on the moving ice floes. Shackleton and his crew travels
through stormy seas to the cast off Elephant Island. Shackleton and his crew are finally rescued two years after they had set out on their expedition. This happens when Shackleton and five crew members travels eight hundred miles in an open boat to get help. The saga ends happily with all crew members surviving the unimaginable ordeal.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD: THE TRUE STORY OF SHACKELTON AND THE ENDURANCE is a biography written in prose form by Jennifer Armstrong. Jennifer Armstrong is a multitalented author of series books for young and older readers. Armstrong is also the writer of chapter books for young and adult readers. She is the author of picture books and young and adult novels too. On Mrs. Armstrong’s web page, she enlightens her readers with why she shifts from fiction writing to nonfiction writing in SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD: THE EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORY OF SHACKLETON AND THE ENDURANCE. Mrs. Armstrong states, "I always thought it was one of the greatest adventures I had ever heard about. At the time, nobody had written a book about the voyage for kids, so when I decided I'd like to try writing nonfiction, I picked this story to write." Armstrong’s accounts of this extraordinary journey is conveyed through journals, memoirs, and Ernest Shackleton and other crew members diaries. For example, Shackleton writes in his journal, “Mighty blocks of ice, gripped between meeting floes, rose slowly until they jumped like cherrystones squeezed between thumb and finger.” Further Harry McNeish writes in his diary, “As the wind increased, it gained a grip on the broken ice and began driving it relentlessly against the ship. ’All hands is standing bye, we had a slight shot last. . .there was a noise under the bottom aft the same as if the ice had broken up. . .the Boss thinks it was a whale but I think different.’”
The cover of this biography is extremely impressive and appealing. This book reads like a narrative. For instance, Armstrong writes, “The penguins did not disappear. They seemed to be stuck on Elephant Island along with the men. As the weeks lengthened into months of captivity, the men could not help feeling twinges of despair. But every morning the ever-optimistic Wild rolled up his sleeping bag and said to the men, ‘Get your things ready, boys. The Boss may come today.’”
The font utilized in this amazing text is not large. In addition, there is a great deal of white space and over forty fascinating copies of black and white photographs saved from the hundreds that Frank Harley had to thrust aside. Shackelton saves his reproductions of the photographs as his documentation of his enthralling adventure.
Jennifer Armstrong’s SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD is organized in a logical and coherent format. The framework for the subject matter is clear and in sequential order. Included in this biography is a contents page, a photograph and a list of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition crew, the original plans of the ship Endurance, maps of the Endurance expedition of 1914-1916, epilogue, acknowledgments, bibliography, and an index.
Jennifer Armstrong’s reveals through her description of the crew’s adventures, a story of sheer courage and strength of the crew of the Endurance. This biography is a must for ages ten and above who love to read nonfiction.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:
”Grade 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 look that will capture the attention and imagination of any reader.”
KIRKUS REVIEWS:
”( 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.”
Publishers Weekly: "Armstrong's absorbing storytelling, illustrated with dramatic black-and-white photographs, makes this an enthralling adventure."
5. CONNECTIONS
*As a social studies lesson, allow students to chart the expedition of the Endurance.
* http://www.jennifer-armstrong.com/
*Other non-fiction books by Jennifer Armstrong:
Armstrong, Jennifer.
SHATTERED: STORIES OF CHILDREN AND WAR. ISBN 0440237653
Armstrong, Jennifer. POCKETS. ISBN 0517709260
Armstrong, Jennifer. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: THEODORE ROOSEVELT LETTERS FROM A YOUNG COAL MINER. ISBN 1890817275
