Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World

Citation : Armstrong, Jennifer. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. New York: Crown Publishers, 1998.


Ages: 12 and up

Genre: Non-Fiction

Themes: Adventure, Exploration, Survival, Loyalty, Friendship

Main Characters: Ernest Shackleton, Frank Wild, Frank Worsley, Frank Hurley

Plot Summary

Shipwreck is about the incredible journey that Shackleton and his men made on the Endurance in 1915. They set off to be the first men to cross the continent of Antarctica. On the trip there their boat got caught in the ice off the coast of Antarctica and they had to endure months cooped up on their boat waiting for the ice to break apart enough to go on shore. Unfortunately what happened instead was the boat was crushed in the ice and the men had to attempt to travel across the ice to the open ocean. Once they made the perilous trek they then had to face the open ocean. They finally landed on a small island in the middle of the ocean. They landed on an island with no inhabitants and six men had to go ahead and get help. The captain did not abandon his men and he returned to save them weeks later. None of the men on the Endurance were lost in this harrowing true story of survival.


Writing Style

Shipwreck is in the third person narrative. The story was put together from accounts of the men who were on the Endurance and narrated for the reader. The author does take some artistic license with her description of the goings on throughout the book, such as when she gives the penguins human qualities at different points in the story.


Assessment of Quality and Utility

Shipwreck is a fantastic book which quickly draws the reader in. Soon the reader does not even realize he or she is reading a non-fiction book but feels more like they are reading a novel about survival and adventure. The author does a superb job of describing the setting of the story so that the reader can fully understand the trials and tribulations that each crew member of the Endurance had to go through. By the end of the book the reader fully understands the miracle that their survival was.

This book is sure to catch any young reader’s attention but would probably grab the interest of young adult males best because they tend to be very attracted to survival stories. Shipwreck is a story that could teach readers about perseverance and sticking by your friends throughout the worst of times. A unique use of this book could be in a Science class where students must learn about the ecosystem of the South Pole. While the reader reads the story of these heroic men, they also learn about environment these men had to endure. Of course this book could also be used in a Social Studies class where turn of the century events are discussed.