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Shackleton's Stowaway by Victoria McKernan

Summary

At 18, Perce Blackborow was considered too young and inexperienced to become part of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. He stowed away and was discovered two days after leaving Buenos Aires, too far out at sea to be sent back. Caught in pack ice soon after sailing into the Weddell Sea, Shackleton's expedition was never able set foot on the continent. The ice eventually crushed and sank the Endurance and Perce and the others began their true fight for survival. Based on the extraordinary true story of Shackleton's 1914 expedition.

Booktalk

Crammed in a locker with oilskins banging in his face, Perce Blackborow can do nothing but wait. Horribly seasick and cramped, he can't leave the locker until they are too far out to sea to take him back. By stowing away on the Endurance, Perce became part of Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition setting out to cross Antarctica. Officially signing on at Georgia Island, Perce soon discovered that seasickness was not the worst thing that could happen. Cold and danger are constant companions as the ship is caught in the pack ice in the Weddell Sea. As the ice begins to crush the ship, the order is given to abandon ship. They are hundreds of miles from land when the ship finally sinks, crushed by the ice. With only the clothes on their backs and a few personal belongings, Perce and the others begin hauling the three lifeboats filled with food and supplies toward land. They will need to cross hundreds of miles of ice and open sea to reach the nearest land, let alone the nearest whaling station on South Georgia Island. Can Shackleton find a way to hold them together and get them to safety?

317 pages, 6th grade and up

Discussion questions

Warning! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. What would you have done if you were in Perce's shoes?
  2. What do you think was the hardest thing about being stranded on the Weddell Sea?
  3. If you could take just two pounds of personal belongings with you in an emergency, what would you take?
  4. How do you think an expedition setting out today would be different than the one Shackleton led in 1914?
  5. Perce didn't think he was brave at the beginning of the story. How did Shackleton change his mind? How do you agree or disagree with Shackleton's definition of bravery?
  6. What qualities made Shackleton a great leader? Who have you met that has these qualities?
  7. Why do you think Perce and the other survivors didn't talk much about the expedition once they got home?

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