Trapped in Ice!: An Amazing True Whaling Adventure

There are some editing prolems with this book, but otherwise it is a good story that young boys should find engrossing and readable. In the first pages the author suggests the book takes place in 1892, but then we learn it is about a fleet of whaling vessels from 1871 that became trapped in the frigid ice waters of the Arctic. Later the author confuses boat names as he describes a return journey to salvage what they could from the original lost ship. But these are the book publisher's fault for not correcting them right away. Overall this is a good story and there are several sidebars (right in the middle of the text which is confusing, another editing gaffe) that givethe reader a clear account of what happened on this particular voyage and how over 1200 people who could easily have froze to death all somehow survived. As said, this is a book for teenage boys, though some girls may also enjoy it. For the adult reader it is a very easy read but yet remains intriguing enough to make you want to finish the book. Whaling was a dangerous profession. The author is out to explain how whaling worked and the dangers those who worked the whale boats faced. It is not an editorial on the cruelty of whaling. History should relate the events, not pass judgment. This book fulfills that obligation.