Antarctica

Antarctica is a two-part story of a fictional “lost” American voyage to the South Pole. What happens when a twice-widowed explorer, Jack Winslow, mounts the most dangerous and exciting American voyage in history, and must bring along his two teenage sons — along with the evil nephew of the voyage’s financier? There’s a stowaway, a mutiny, an amputation — and several people who aren’t exactly who they say they are. And that’s about all I’ll give away now! I’m proud to say that the 1000640http://www.jason.org/public/whatis/start.aspxJASON project (brainchild of Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreckage of the Titanic) included Antarctica as one of the five top books for kids in their unit on Polar Regions.

It was also one of my favorite stories to write. The idea began (as so many good ones do) in the mind of the brilliant and fecund editor, 1000640http://www.davidlevithan.comDavid Levithan, who called me one day all agog about the most awesome exhibit he’d ever seen at the Museum of Natural History. It involved one of the most impossible feats of rescue and survival in human history, by one Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton’s ship had been stuck in ice and crushed, at the beginning of the Antarctic cold season. With no ship, no contact to the outside world, and the roughest sea on Earth between them and the nearest country, somehow Shackleton managed to reach civilization and save every one of his crew. So … would I be interested in brainstorming about a novel, an epic adventure inspired by that epic voyage? (You bet I did!)

Although the original series is out of print, eBooks are now available!  Please use the links at the right to order.  I’ve also provided links for second-hand print copies of the original series.