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Joanna Grochowicz Books

This story tells the tale of Robert Falcon Scott’s Expedition to Antarctica in an attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole. This expedition – The Terra Nova – is told in detail in the story, including the stories of the men who followed him. The very first sentence, ‘If you’re into happy endings, you’d better look elsewhere,’ is an instant hook and sets a precedent for what may come.

The story explores important themes of perseverance, responding to failure and keeping hope in difficult times.

This book would make for a great reference tool when learning about the different polar regions and Scott as one of the great British explorers, as well as an exciting and perilous adventure story for ages 10-14. Scott’s previous expeditions are also mentioned, including the expedition with Earnest Shackleton, and photographs from the expedition are also included.

Adrift on the Antarctic pack ice with no means of escape and no hope of rescue, Ernest Shackleton and his men are surely doomed.

In August 1914, Ernest Shackleton and his men set sail for Antarctica, where they plan to cross the last uncharted continent on foot. In January 1915, his ship, the Endurance, becomes locked in pack ice. Later, it sinks without a trace.

To survive, Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men must undertake a trial even more extreme than their planned crossing of the frozen continent. Their aim is to make it home against tremendous odds, with only lifeboats to cross the heavy seas of the South Atlantic – and the life-saving power of Shackleton’s extraordinary leadership skills.

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