Bound by Ice

July 17, 2017
Drawing heavily on the journals of the crew of the U.S.S. Jeannette, the Wallaces (Blood Brother) recount in riveting prose the ship’s ill-fated two-year voyage (1879–1881) in search of warm waters then thought to surround the North Pole. Lt. Cmdr. George W. De Long sailed under the authority of the U.S. Navy, hoping to advance human knowledge and perhaps reach the pole. The financial backing of James Gordon Bennett Jr., owner of the sensationalistic New York Herald, ensured that the expedition was well provisioned, and it boasted an excellent crew, but these advantages were offset by ignorance of the polar climate, broken telegraph equipment, and misleading maps. Two months after sailing from San Francisco, the ship was trapped in ice off the Siberian coast, where it remained for almost two years until it sank. Chief engineer George Melville emerges as the surviving hero, exemplifying the courage, skill, determination, and honor of all 33 men, who maintained a “never-turn-back attitude” through intense cold, storms, illness, and the ultimate loss of the Jeannette and two-thirds of its crew. Abundant archival illustrations, bibliography, and source notes bolster this gripping, accessible account. Ages 9–up.

August 1, 2017

Gr 5-8-In 1879, Navy officer George Washington Delong had "Arctic Fever," and jumped at the chance to lead an expedition to the North Pole aboard the ship, Jeannette. His route was largely based on an esteemed geologist's theory that a warm Pacific Ocean current would lead them effortlessly to the pole. The lure of adventure was so great that the unproven hypothesis drew 1,200 applicants for the expedition's 24-man crew. Although it was expertly staffed, more powerful, and better equipped than previous ships bound for the North Pole, the Jeannette was no match for the merciless arctic winters; a prologue alerts readers that the harrowing story of survival begins when the ship sinks after months of being stuck in the ice. The crew was divvied into three lifeboats with provisions and sled dogs, but became separated over time. Chief Engineer George Melville and 11 other men survived to tell the tale and, while Delong perished, his meticulous logs and journals pieced together the three-year ordeal. Reproductions of these notes and letters, along with images and maps, underscore the authenticity of the narrative. Most poignant is a photo of the porcelain doll Delong meant for his daughter-recovered from his coat pocket when his body was found in Siberia. VERDICT A younger read in the vein of Jennifer Armstrong's Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World or Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea: Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. Add this straightforward but finely researched account whereever true survival stories are popular.-Vicki Reutter, State University of New York at Cortland

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 15, 2017
A gripping account of a disastrous 1879 American expedition to find the North Pole. In 1879, Lt. Cmdr. George De Long and his officers and crew set off from San Francisco in the USS Jeannette, funded by the New York Herald newspaper and backed by the U.S. Navy. Finding the pole, "the world's greatest mystery," so captured the public's imagination that more than 1,200 men applied for the 24 positions as sailors. Two Yup'ik crew members joined in Alaska. Unfortunately, the available maps were highly inaccurate, as was a renowned expert's assertion that a warm ocean current led to the pole. Instead, once north of Siberia, the ship found itself stranded in ice for more than a year and then crushed by it. The men, separated into three groups, tried desperately to reach Siberian settlements. De Long insisted on preserving his and others' writings, which provide the remarkable details that bring this story to life. The authors skillfully incorporate quotes from journals, letters, and official documents. Vivid language and narrative techniques such as cliffhangers maximize the drama, while well-chosen anecdotes convey the personalities. Archival, contemporaneous illustrations, maps, and mostly small photographs add an appropriately old-fashioned look. Highly appealing narrative nonfiction for anyone who loves true adventure. (authors' note, bibliography, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 11-15)

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Starred review from August 1, 2017
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Extensively researched and illustrated with engravings and paintings, this account of the 1879 Arctic voyage of the Jeannette serves as an excellent example of how to piece together an intriguing story from a variety of sources. When the Jeannette was sent to explore the Arctic area accessible north from the Bering Strait, little was truly known about the farthest reaches of the sea. Theories held that once past the ice shelves, warm tropical waters eddied around the North Pole, and that there might even be inhabitable land to discover. George Washington De Long, a U.S. Navy captain, aimed to head the expedition that would add a new depth of knowledge to the world. It was not to be. Along with his crew, he instead faced two torturous years of severe weather, and the Jeannette was doomed to be crushed by ice. A trek across hundreds of miles to Siberia ensued, but not all of the crew made itthat any did was sheer luck. Despite all this, however, the records of what the Jeannette's crew did find, was important and added to prior knowledge. Readers of historical adventure will be drawn to the story and appreciate the crew's bravery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
On its 1879 expedition to the North Pole, the steamer Jeannette got stuck in Arctic ice for twenty months, forcing a death march across hundreds of miles of inhospitable land; of the thirty-three men aboard, twelve survived. The Wallaces bring the tale to vivid life, expertly incorporating quotes from journals and letters, sketches, engravings, etc., which lend immediacy to the history. A fascinating authors' note details "the thrills of research." Bib., ind.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2017
Ten thousand people cheered as the steamer Jeannette departed San Francisco, off to the North Pole, in 1879, seeking to expand human knowledge and perhaps find new islands and animal species--maybe even "a lost race of humans, or prehistoric animals" at the "great unknown at the top of the world." But the Jeannette got stuck in Arctic ice for twenty months, forcing a death march across hundreds of miles of inhospitable land; of the original thirty-three men aboard, only twelve survived. The Wallaces bring to vivid life the exciting tale of Lieutenant Commander George W. De Long, expertly incorporating quotes from his and others' journals (De Long's wife Emma posthumously published two volumes of his journals), letters, sketches and engravings, newspaper headlines, paintings, and even lists of rations and the contents of knapsacks, which lend immediacy to the tale. In an epilogue, the authors point out a peculiar irony: "The theory that led to the Jeannette's demise--that the Arctic held an open polar sea--might someday become a reality because of global warming" and state that the political climate is an obstacle to solving the problem. A fascinating authors' note lets young readers in on "the thrills of research," and the thorough back matter includes a bibliography (including primary-source government documents and periodicals), source notes, an index, and picture credits. dean schneider

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)