Fountaindale Public Library

Marooned in the Arctic, the true story of Ada Blackjack, the "female Robinson Crusoe", Peggy Caravantes

eng

unknown if item is government publication

no index present

non fiction

Marooned in the Arctic

dictionaries

942743806

Peggy Caravantes

the true story of Ada Blackjack, the "female Robinson Crusoe"

"In 1921, four men ventured into the Arctic for a top-secret expedition: an attempt to claim uninhabited Wrangel Island in northern Siberia for Great Britain. With the men was a young Inuit woman named Ada Blackjack, who had signed on as cook and seamstress to earn money to care for her sick son. Conditions soon turned dire for the team when they were unable to kill enough game to survive. Three of the men tried to cross the frozen Chukchi Sea for help but were never seen again, leaving Ada with one remaining team member who soon died of scurvy. Determined to be reunited with her son, Ada learned to survive alone in the icy world by trapping foxes, catching seals, and avoiding polar bears. After she was finally rescued in August 1923, after two years total on the island, Ada became a celebrity, with newspapers calling her a real "female Robinson Crusoe." The first young adult book about Blackjack's remarkable story, Marooned in the Arctic includes sidebars on relevant topics of interest to teens, such as the uses of cats on ships, the phenomenon known as Arctic hysteria, and aspects of Inuit culture and beliefs. With excerpts from diaries, letters, and telegrams; historic photos; a map; source notes; and a bibliography; this is an indispensible resource for any young adventure lover, classroom, or library"--, Provided by publisher"In 1921, four men ventured into the Arctic for a top-secret expedition: an attempt to claim uninhabited Wrangel Island in northern Siberia for Canada. With the men was a young Inuit woman named Ada Blackjack, who had signed on as cook and seamstress to earn money to care for her sick son. Conditions soon turned dire for the team when they were unable to kill enough game to survive. Three of the men tried to cross the frozen Chukchi Sea for help but were never seen again, leaving Ada with one remaining team member who soon died of scurvy. Determined to be reunited with her son, Ada learned to survive alone in the icy world by trapping foxes, catching seals, and avoiding polar bears. After she was finally rescued in August 1923, after two years total on the island, Ada became a celebrity, with newspapers calling her a real "female Robinson Crusoe.""--, Provided by publisher

Front Cover; Front Flip; Title Page; Half Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Author's Note; Map; 1: In the Beginning; Meet Vilhjalmur Stefansson; 2: Settling on the Island; Meet Milton Galle; 3: Changing Winds; Meet Lorne Knight; 4: Fading Hopes; Meet Allan Crawford; 5: Treacherous Treks; Meet Frederick Maurer; 6: Oh for a Bear!; 7: Downward Spiral; 8: Rescue!; 9: Conflict and Confusion; Afterword; Acknowledgments; Notes; Sources; Index; Back Flip; Back Cover

juvenile