Antarctic Exploration

Robert Lee Murphy on his first trip to Antarctica in 1976.

This time of year, as the austral winter commences in the Southern Hemisphere, my thoughts turn to Antarctica. South of the Antarctic Circle, the continuous days of sunlight are fading. The summer scientists and the large contingent of support personnel have departed The Ice. A few intrepid winter-over scientists and support people will remain isolated for more than half a year throughout the coming long winter’s night. I never "wintered-over," but I did make fourteen trips to the South Pole during my years of working with the United States Antarctic Program. 

More people attended the Super Bowl this year than have ever visited the South Pole. Realize that the antarctic continent is equal in size to the United States and Mexico combined. If you were to visit Antarctica on a cruise ship and dock at McMurdo Station (America's principal support base), it would be like arriving in Houston. The South Pole is located at Chicago! There are no roads between the two locations.

The polar regions of Earth were among the last places explored on our continent. The South Pole was reached only a little over a century ago. Man first set foot at the North Pole less than three years prior to that. Serious consideration is currently being given to sending a manned expedition to Mars. Today’s middle-grade students will probably participate in that momentous event. Interestingly, one of the first places that might be explored on Mars will be the polar regions. Water ice may exist there, making supporting life for human explorers somewhat easier. Middle-graders with an interest in space travel should study the history of the exploration of Antarctica.

In order to appreciate the historical fiction presentations of antarctic exploration, it would be helpful to know about the polar regions. There are no polar bears in Antarctica, and there are no penguins in the Arctic. One of the best books currently available about the two polar regions is DK Eyewitness Books: Arctic and Antarctic by Barbara Taylor. This is a beautifully illustrated volume loaded with information about the flora, fauna, and the geography of the polar regions. This book also contains an excellent introduction to the exploration of both the North Pole and the South Pole. The reader will learn the facts about the differences between the polar areas. The Arctic is an ocean surrounded by land, while the Antarctic is land surrounded by oceans.

The Birthday Boys by Beryl Bainbridge presents a fictional account of the doomed 1910-13 South Pole expedition of Robert Falcon Scott. It is written in first-person narrative format by five of the members of the expedition: Captain Scott, Petty Officer Evans, Doctor Wilson, Lieutenant Bowers, and Captain Oates. The book received strong reviews when it was published in 1991. Publishers Weekly wrote . . . "gripping, moving and hair-raisingly readable novel . . ." School Library Journal stated the book . . . "conveys a vivid sense of the era and of the pride, idealism, and bravado of the explorers." The novel glosses over the final fateful loss of life when Scott and his companions perished on their return journey from the South Pole.

Roald Amundsen: The Conquest of the South Pole by Julie Karner is not a fictional account of Amundsen's journey to Antarctica. This biography does do a nice job explaining how the Norwegian explorer set out secretly for the South Pole in 1910 with the intention of beating Robert Scott in the race to discover the South Pole. This book points out that Amundsen relied on his prior arctic exploration experience, his expert dog-handling skills, his willingness to eat his dogs for survival, and his pure luck in finding the route that allowed him to reach the South Pole a month earlier than Scott. 

One of the most thrilling exploring stories of Antarctica is that of one of Sir Earnest Shackleton's voyages. Shackleton originally was part of Scott’s expeditions, but he later struck out on his own. Nick Bertozzi’s graphic novel, Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey, relates in a format familiar to middle-grade readers the harrowing tale of how Shackleton’s ship Endurance was crushed in the ice. This disaster nearly resulted in the loss of all lives on board. The book covers the two-year trip as these shipwrecked explorers struggle to save themselves. Perhaps, after reading this comic-book presentation, middle-graders will be inspired to tackle South: The ENDURANCE Expedition. Written by Sir Earnest Shackleton himself, the book is a classic about leadership and survival.

When I set out to write this blog post, I was sure I would find numerous fictional accounts about polar exploration oriented toward the middle-grade reader. I was disappointed. As an author with antarctic experience, perhaps I will have to tackle writing such a book myself.

Sara K Joiner: Environment and History

While I was researching After the Ashes, I learned about the impact environmental disasters can have on people and geography. Sometimes these disasters happen without warning, such as the volcanic eruption and tsunamis that resulted from Krakatoa's eruption. Other times, these disasters take time for their effects to have an impact.

There are a number of great books that use environmental disasters as a key element of the plot.

Andrea White's novel Radiant Girl is set in Pripyat near the Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union when nuclear facility melts down in 1986. Katya, the main character, is looking forward to the opening of a new amusement park when disaster strikes in the middle of the night. People she knows and cares for are killed in the initial explosion, and her entire world is turned upside down when the government moves her family from their comfortable home in Pripyat to an apartment in Odessa.

The Last Girls of Pompeii by Kathryn Lasky is set in the ancient Roman city in the year 79. Main character Julia has a disability and relies on her slave Mitka for help, comfort and friendship. When Mount Vesuvius erupts and shatters their world, the two girls have only themselves to rely on if they want to survive.

In The Killing Sea by Richard Lewis, white American Sarah and Indonesian Ruslan are forced to work together after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Both have been impacted by the disaster, and both need to reach help. Along the way they learn they have more in common than they realized.

Jame Richards' Three Rivers Rising, a novel in verse, is set during the 1889 Johnstown Flood in Pennsylvania. Main character Celestia loves a boy from the wrong side of the tracks which leads to her being disowned by her family. Taking shelter with the boy's family, she is living in Johnstown when the dam breaks and millions of cubic feet of water coming rushing into town.

When it comes to talking about environmental disasters that have shaken the world, you also need to look at nonfiction to learn about the causes and effects of these catastrophes. Dangerous Planet: Natural Disasters That Changed History by Bryn Barnard does just that. Readers learn about the Great Fire of London, the blizzard that led to the creation of the New York Subway, and deforestation that changed the course of Ethiopia's history.

The effects of the environment on history are far-reaching and impact us in ways we can never imagine. Thankfully, through historical fiction, we can place ourselves right at the center of those historic events.

Sara K Joiner is the author of After the Ashes. She is also a public librarian.