Race to the Bottom of the Earth: Surviving Antarctica

i'm using this for research about the Arctic. I read it in 2 days. Couldn't put it down. great for kids that like adventure stories.

Barone’s book is a highly substantive book that is a true inspiration for its audience. Packed with pictures & maps, real-life quotes & timelines, it will be a true Arctic guide for any child who reads it. In our modern world, it can seem like there is little left to discover, and that “explorers” are a thing of the past - Race to the Bottom of the Earth blows that assumption out of the water and reminds the reader that true explorers are in every time and place if we just take time to hear their stories.

Two exciting stories of two separate, groundbreaking attempts to reach the South Pole in one book. Four separate expeditions, one involving 2 men in 1910, the other involving 2 different men in 2018. All expeditions were dangerous and life-threatening.Wanting to be the first to reach the South Pole, Captain Robert Scott led his team on an expedition across Antartica in 1910. He wasn’t aware that, Roald Amundsen departed at the same time, with the exact same goal.In 2018, Captain Louis Rudd hoped to be the first man to complete a solo crossing of Antartica, completely unaided. He was unaware that another man, Colin O’Brady, an athlete, was training to do the same. Both men planned to race alone, without stopping to resupply.A story of survival, adventure, grit and tragedy as 4 men, in two separate eras, competed to be the first to traverse Antartica. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I read this as an audio book but recommend that future readers choose a hardcopy in order to to enjoy the photos and maps.

This is an amazing story that is wonderfully told—I read the whole thing in two sittings because I wanted to see what would happen next!Barone moves back and forth between a historical narrative (the race between Scott and Amundsen to reach the South Pole) and a more recent one (the race between Lou Rudd and Colin O’Brady to be the first to cross Antarctica alone on foot without resupplying along the way). The parallels between the two stories are almost unbelievable, and Barone’s writing feels like a novel.Due to some content about the deaths of people and animals, it may not be the best fit for sensitive young readers…but I highly recommend this book for older middle grade (10+ years) and above.

With thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an early copy in return for an honest review.Admittedly, I don't read enough non-fiction, and Race to the Bottom of the Earth showed me why I need to change that in 2021. I was worried about following the journeys of 4 different teams, but my concerns were entirely unnecessary. I was quickly caught up in their individual journeys, 100 years apart. I think too many kids (and grown-ups) think of explorers as people from hundreds of years ago and yet exploring is still happening today. There were a number of lessons learned during the book from these explorers and their adventures, and it will be inspiring to a new generation of explorers!

This fascinating read compares two Antarctic races, the race for the south pole by Scott/Admunsen in the early 1900's and the race between Rudd and O'Brady in 2018 for the first unaided solo crossing of Antarctica. It is meticulously researched and well written though the narrative jumping back and forth in time and between competitors can be hard to follow and will keep readers on their toes. I would have liked to see more added features like a webliography of general information about Antarctica, but this is a solid and interesting narrative of the pursuit of "firsts" in an extreme environment.