COLD TIMES
There's been a bit of synchronicity in my life lately -- about (of all things) Antarctica. So I thought I'd share a little, in case you're a fan of the cold continent, adventure exploration, "greening" to reduce greenhouse, or award winning fiction.

How to Survive in Antarctica by Lucy Jane Bledsoe
This is a book I purchased for the YA collection, partly because of the fascinating title -- have you ever wondered what it would take to survive in Antarctica?
During her exploratory sojourns to Antarctica, Bledsoe witnessed many amazing sights (mummified seals) and picked up even more survival tactics (if you should find yourself in danger of falling into a crevasse, stretch out your body to avoid dropping farther). Part memoir, part survival tips, part curiosities, Lucy Jane Bledsoe's book lets readers vicariously experience the author's adventures while on exploration to the cold continent.

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander (DVD)
My run-ins with South Pole topics began with someone telling me about this book -- in complete wonder and awe. A truly amazing tale.
In August 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton, a renowned explorer, set sail with 27 men on his ship, the Endurance. His plan was to be the first expedition to cross the Antarctic continent -- racing against other teams, including those of Amundsen and Scott. Marooned on four feet of ice, in over 8,000 feet deep water, Shackleton and his crew survived some 635 days and nights, without decent shelter or enough food, enduring the harshest conditions imaginable.(Sounds like they could have used Bledsoe's book -- or written it!)

White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughreanThis book was announced as this year's winner of the Michael L Printz Award for outstanding literature for young adults.
Taken to Antarctica by the man she thinks of as her uncle for what she believes to be a vacation, Symone--a troubled fourteen year old with a mad crush on Titus Oakes, a captain in Scott's South Pole team some 90 years ago -- discovers that he is dangerously obsessed with seeking Symme's Hole, an opening that supposedly leads into the center of a hollow Earth. Suddenly, she's caught in a struggle for her life.

Cruising to Otherworldly Antarctica by Gwen Thompkins, NPR
Would you prefer to watch and listen to an account of a protected visit to Antarctica? NPR ran a story about climate change and Antarctica, making a visit on a cruise ship. Fantastic tale.

Want more? Check out the online articles that World Book has (you'll need your library card) -- there are articles, maps, pictures, tables, and more -- tons of fascinating information!

And just now (2 hours my original posting of this) I read an article in the NYTimes about a Harlem Middle School teacher taking a trip to Antarctica with a professor from Queens College to research. "Harlem to Antarctica for Science, and Pupils"

Labels: awards, books for boys, books for girls, green, links

~emily - 12:06 PM~

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