Reviews (1)

Vanity, all is vanity
An ego driven report of some obviously superficial relationships with people mostly dead. Self-centered and
pompous. And for this they felled a tree? ... Read more

Book Description

Synopsis

Frank Sinatra was the king of showbiz and the voice of his century. The new Rough Guide covers his life, his music, his influences and those influenced by him. Features include: Anecdotes behind 50 essential Sinatra performances; The movies: the hits and the misses; Frank facts: the trivia and the jokes; Album-by-album coverage and the stories behind his greatest songs. The guide is an essential fan's companion of the singing waiter from New Jersey who became the most famous entertainer of all time. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This is an easy and fun book to read about Tiger Woods.
Tiger Woods is one of the greatest athletes living today. Not only is he a great golfer, he is a great person. He shares his money with clinics that help young people learn to play golf.I liked the book because it told his life story and showed what a winner he is. ... Read more

Download Description

Exemplary British expedition leader Sir Ernest Shackleton's (1874-1922) compelling account of his 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition consisting of two ships, the HMS Endurance and the HMS Aurora.The goal of the expedition (which it failed to achieve, but not for want of perseverance) was to cross the Antarctic by dogsled, exploring unknown territory and making scientific observations along the way.The plan called for the Endurance, with Shackleton aboard, to establish a base on the shore of the Weddell Sea, while the Aurora did the same at the Ross Sea on the opposite side of the continent.From the Weddell Sea base a six-man Transcontinental party led by Shackleton would set out for the Ross Sea base by dog sled.However, after arriving in Weddell Sea, the Endurance became trapped in ice floes and was eventually crushed, leaving the twenty-eight members of party to make their way 300 miles across the ice and establish a camp on Elephant Island.From there, Shackleton and five of his men courageously set out by small boat on a sixteen-day journey to Stromness Whaling Station on South Georgia Island to find help, enduring numbing cold, extreme thirst, two fierce gales, and a rogue wave of which he later wrote, ". . . I realized that what I had seen was not a rift in the clouds but [its] white crest . . . During twenty-six years' experience of the ocean in all its moods I had not encountered [one] so gigantic."On finally reaching Stromness, Shackleton immediately set about returning to Elephant Island to rescue the men he had left there. It is a tribute to Shackleton's leadership qualities that all members of the Weddell Sea party survived the extraordinary hazards and dangers encountered by the expedition.Though overshadowed at the time by the outbreak of World War I, the feats of Shackleton and his companions in this expedition are now recognized as ranking among the most memorable in the annals of Antarctic exploration. ... Read more

Book Description

Ages 10 and up. This easy-to-read contemporary biographywill give the reader a great introduction to Tiger Woods--from hisearliest years to winning the U.S. Open. Eight full-page photos areincluded. Glossary of golf terms. Worthington Press imprint. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Tiger, The Best Golfer In The World!
Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer in the world, (in my opinion anyway, I really don't care what other people think). I am the biggest beyond biggest fan of Tiger woods (just ask anyone, they all know!) Tiger Woods is more than a world class champion, he is the best, and I would give anything to meet him! I know you all probably hear this all of the time, but I am serious, he is my hero, I love him! Yeah, GO TIGER, YOUR THE MAN! Good luck, and love ya, Nikki ... Read more

Book Description

The "Easy Biographies" series focuses on the childhood and young-adult years of famous men and women who overcame obstacles to achieve greatness. Inspirational and informative reading for students with big dreams. ... Read more

Book Description

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World vividly recreates one of the most extraordinary adventure stories in history.

In August 1914, Ernest Shackleton and 27 men sailed from England in an attempt to become the first team of explorers to cross the Antarctic continent from one side to the other. Five months later and still 100 miles from land, their ship, Endurance, became trapped. The expedition survived an Antarctic winter in the icebound ship, then, after Endurance sank, five months camped on the ice followed by a perilous boat journey through storms and icebergs to remote and unvisited Elephnat Island, 600 miles from Cape Horn. From there, their only hope was for someone to fetch help. In a dramatic climax to this amazing survival story, Shackleton and five others navigated 800 miles of the treacherous open ocean in a 20-foot boat and then hiked across the unmapped, glacier-strewn interior of South Georgia Island to a whaling station. In August 1916, 19 months after Endurance first became icebound, Shackleton led a rescue party back to Elephant Island for his men.

Jennifer Armstrong narrates these almost unbelievable events with vigor, an eye for detail, and an appreciation of the marvelous leadership of Ernest Shackleton, who brought home every one of his men alive. With them survived a remarkable archive of photographs of the expedition, more than forty of which are reproduced here. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

An amazing story! I couldn't stop reading it!
I began reading this book while quite tired one evening, but found I couldn't put it down! Shackleton and his crew find themselves in one horrible predicament after another, yet all 28 men manage to miraculously survive! The photographs from the original voyage are incredible! A definite must read!

Great true story!
The expedition of 1914, just as The War to End All Wars broke out, of Sir Ernest Shackleton & his crew who sailed from England intending to cross Antarctica from one side to the other.

What they in fact did after the Endurance froze over & sank, has gone into the annals of epic human effort. In the face of crushing odds they all survived 19 months without contact with the outside world.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD for everyone, not just 10 year olds!

An incredible, horrifying, and amazing trip
This 1999 winner of the Orbis Pictus Award (given for outstanding nonfiction for children) is a detailed and well-researched account of Sir Ernest Shackleton's incredible 1914-1916 voyage to Antarctica. Jennifer Armstrong does an excellent job of creating interest all through the book, sharing interesting details about what the men ate, and the games and activities they use to passed the time. The book includes many photographs taken by the photographer on the expedition, giving a sense of realism and immediacy.

The author follows Shackleton's trip from England to South Georgia Island, then the failed attempt to get to the Antarctic continent. The ship becomes stuck in ice, but the ice migrates, moving the Endurance further north, toward the open ocean. Before they reach the sea the ice crushes the ship, forcing the men to abandon it. It is after the sinking of the Endurance that the narrative gets so exciting that the book is impossible to put down. The reader reads with growing horror of the crew's travail across the ice and out to tiny, barren Elephant Island.

When it seems that the men can't possibly have anything worse ahead of them, Shackleton and five men sail a small lifeboat eight hundred miles back to South Georgia Island. Armstrong's description of the harrowing fifteen days spent in the lifeboat holds the reader in a vise-like grip. She winds down the tension with a very satisfying epilogue relating what the crewmembers did with the rest of their lives. The captioned photograph at the end of the book showing the entire crew shortly after their return to civilization is a perfect touch.

Non-fiction perfection
There was a spate of Shackleton books, documentaries, and films not too long ago following the events of September 11, 2001. During that time, people couldn't get enough of the story of a man facing ridiculously insurmountable odds to save his men and return home from the Antarctic. Preceeding this surge in Shackleton love, this book appeared in 1998 and tells the story perfectly. I must admit that I fell in love with this book. Armstrong is a master here, breaking the monotony of the months the men spent waiting for the Endurance to be free from the ice flows by telling about the crew's practical jokes and games. The author is careful to include photographs only as they occur in the text. At the beginning of the trip, the ship's photographer takes a great many shots of life with the crew. Towards the end, photos are few and far between. In some books for children, this might be a huge drawback. Here, it works exceedingly well. The text grows more and more interesting as the photos diminish. I belive that if the author did not say right from the beginning that Shackleton and every single member of this crew survived, this book might be impossible to continue reading. The notes in the back are of some help, and the photos of the crew members are useful. What makes this book stands out is that it captures a group of people doing work that they are exceedingly good at. It is very satisfying to read about accomplished individuals. This book might or might not read well to children. I don't know how well it would do. Still, I would recommend it to anyone and pair it with books of fiction and non-fiction that deal with the Antarctic or exploration. The fact that this book wasn't given so much as a Newberry honor is an appalling fact.

This book deserves 1000 stars!
I picked up this book in the library two days ago wondering if I would enjoy it. My mom said to go ahead and check it out because she had enjoyed it and thought I would too. So I took it home and put it in my tape player. Boy, I can't stop listening to it. On our way up to our dog training class I couldnd't stop telling my mom about this, and that from the book. I would definetly reccomend this book to anyone who wants to read a GOOD BOOK. ... Read more