GENRE: Non-fiction / Diary
HONORS: None
REVIEW: Jennifer Owings Dewey spent four months in the Antarctic because of a grant from the National Science Foundation. While there, she kept a journal of her experiences as well as sketches and photographs. She tells about the time she went outside during a storm, against the rules, and then had a hard time getting back in. She also tells about falling into a crevasse, surviving only because it was narrow. Ms. Dewey saw the fata morgana mirage while there. This mirage appears to be "towers of ice hung suspended in the sky" (p. 47). At the end, when it is time for Ms. Dewey to leave, the reader can understand her feelings about her home for the last four months.
OPINION: This book was an interesting look at what day-to-day life is like in Antarctica. The sketches and pictures give a glimpse into the beauty. The book is also very realistic about the dangers of living in such a vast, untamed land. The book is not very long which makes it a good entry point into a study of Antarctica.
IDEAS: This book would fit very nicely with a unit on Antarctica. There is a lot of good information about the weather and the animals found there. This book could be used to compare and contrast the experiences of Shakleton and his expedition to the Antarctic with Ms. Dewey's experiences. In addition, the book is an example of diary or journal writing for use in modeling that form of writing.
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