Locked in Ice: Nansen's Daring Quest for the North Pole

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Description

A celebrity among the ranks of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton at the turn of the twentieth century, Fridtjof Nansen contributed tremendous amounts of new information to our knowledge about the Arctic. At a time when the North Pole was still undiscovered territory, he attempted to make it to the Pole in a way that most experts thought was mad: Nansen purposefully locked his ship in ice for two years in order to float northward along the currents. This compelling account of his Arctic expedition celebrates the legacy of a courageous man who dared to push the boundaries of human exploration. For fans of the New York Times bestsellers Unbroken, The Boys on the Boat, and The Finest Hours. A Christy Ottaviano Book

Reviews

"Lourie has done a superb job of recreating an epic, little-known story of white-knuckled adventure and survival. Well written, the story sets a brisk pace and is enlivened by a generous selection of photographs and Nansen's own well-executed sketches."--Booklist

"A vivid account of Norwegian scientist, explorer, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Fridtjof Nansen's 1893-1896 try for the North Pole . . .Colorful, exhausting, compelling reading. The highly informative appendix includes a wealth of information."--Kirkus Reviews

"The book is spellbinding and well researched . . .The narrative is fast paced with rich detail. This is a solid choice for readers who enjoy history, adventure, and biography."--VOYA

"[This] harrowing journey through the brutal Arctic landscape--documented here through black-and-white photographs, line drawings, and journal entries--became legendary. Lourie provides an intriguing portrait of the man and his journey."--The Horn Book

Author Bio

Peter Lourie has written many award-winning nonfiction books for young readers. He is the author most recently of three books about the Arctic: Jack London and the Klondike Goldrush, The Polar Bear Scientists, and Whaling Season. He lives in Vermont. peterlourie.com