Nonfiction Monday

 

The Indestructible Tom Crean: Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic by Jennifer Thermes is a marvelous look at some of the Antarctic expeditions that opened the 19^th century.

This story of Tom Crean, a seaman who served aboard the Discovery, Terra Nova, and Endurance, immerses the reader in the challenges and dangers faced by the men who lived and died in their quest for knowledge. There are any number of books available on Antarctic Expeditions. Most center on the well-known leaders or focus on the details of the expedition. Thermes provides a wonderful resource for young readers in this true-to-life story told from an imaginative new perspective.

 Tom enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1893 at the age of sixteen, but he stepped into history in 1901 when he volunteered to replace a man on Robert Falcon Scott's ship Discovery. That expedition lasted four years. Day after day through the long Antarctic summer, Tom helped drag 800-pound sleds to create a supply chain for the explorers. Winter freezes the ship in place, trapping the men for two years.

In 1910 Scott recruited Tom for the Terra Nova Expedition in a quest to be the first to reach the South Pole. He made the dangerous journey across the frozen landscape only to be sent back to base just 150 miles short of the goal while Scott and 3 additional men continued in a journey that would end in their death. Although Tom and two others were forced to return, they soon faced their own life and death struggle when one of the men fell ill. Tom continued alone through 35 miles of treacherous mind-numbing cold to bring help. His heroism saved his companions’ lives.

In 1914, he served as second officer on Captain Ernest Shackelton’s Endurance expedition. When the ship became trapped in the ice and sank, the men were forced to abandon ship and were stranded on a tiny island far from any hope of survival. Once again, Tom led the rescue crew traveling 800 miles in 17 days through some of the most dangerous waters in the world, then made a 36-hour trek on foot across the fierce glacial mountains to a whaling station where he found help.

 Thermes has packed this amazing work from cover to cover with fact lists, maps, timelines, illustrations of Antarctic animals and additional reading sources. 

Her narrative is compelling and turns this historical record into a page-turning adventure.

Highly recommended for the young adventurer!