A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book

In the years following the Civil War, "Arctic fever" gripped the American public, fueled by myths of a fertile, tropical sea at the top of the world. Several explorers attempted to find a route to the North Pole, but none succeeded. Bound by Ice follows the journey of George Washington De Long and the crew of the USS Jeannette, who departed San Francisco in the summer of 1879 hoping to find a route to the North Pole. However, in mid-September the ship became locked in ice north of Siberia and drifted for nearly two years before it was crushed by ice and sank. De Long and his men escaped the ship and began a treacherous journey in extreme polar conditions in an attempt to reach civilization. Many--including De Long--did not survive. A riveting true-life adventure, Bound by Ice includes excerpts from De Long's extensive journals, which were recovered with his body; newspapers from the time; and photos and sketches by the men on the expedition. The title also includes an epilogue, author's note, bibliography, source notes, and index.

This book has been graded for interest at 9-18 years.

There are 192 pages in this book. This book was published 2017 by Boyds Mills Press .

Investigative journalists Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace are award-winning novelists and nonfiction authors of books like Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and His Sacrifice for Civil Rights and Bound by Ice: A True North Pole Survival Story . Sandra is a former news anchor and ESPN sportscaster. The daughter of a refugee, she became a US citizen in 2016. Rich was a longtime senior editor at Highlights magazine. Both Sandra and Rich are members of the advisory council for the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College and are founding members of the Keene Immigrant and Refugee Partnership. They live in New Hampshire. Rich Wallace is the author of Perpetual Check; One Good Punch, an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults; and Wrestling Sturbridge, an ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults. He lives with his family in Pennsylvania.