Ice Drift
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Overview
The year is 1868, and fourteen-year-old Alika and his younger brother, Sulu, are hunting for seals on an ice floe attached to their island in the Arctic. Suddenly the ice starts to shake, and they hear a loud crack—the terrible sound of the floe breaking free from land. The boys watch with horror as the dark expanse of water between the ice and the shore rapidly widens, and they start drifting south—away from their home, their family, and everything they've ever known.
Throughout their six-month-long journey down the Greenland Strait, the brothers face bitter cold, starvation, and most frightening of all, vicious polar bears. But they still remain hopeful that one day they'll be rescued.
This thrilling new adventure story from bestselling author Theodore Taylor is a moving testament to the bond between brothers—and to the strength of the human spirit.
Includes a map, a glossary of Inuit words and phrases, and an author's note..
Two Inuit brothers must fend for themselves while stranded on an ice floe that is adrift in the Greenland Strait.
Synopsis
Two young Inuit brothers struggle for survival on an ice floe adrift in the Arctic Ocean.
Tim Brennan - VOYA
Author of The Cay (Doubleday, 1969) and Timothy of The Cay (Harcourt, 1993/VOYA December 1993), Taylor makes a solid contribution to the survival genre with this heartwarming story of two brothers trapped on a drifting ice floe off the Greenland Strait deep inside the Arctic Circle at the onset of winter in 1868. The cold and brittle setting contrasts nicely with the warmth and kindness shared by fourteen-year-old Aliki and ten-year-old Sulu as they battle intense cold, high wind, constant darkness, hunger, polar bears, and ultimately the melting of the floe from underneath them. Aliki is a born hunter, but the gentle-spirited Sulu loves birds, is a gifted sculptor, and finds killing distasteful at best. Aided by their trusty sledge dog, Jamka, the boys successfully hunt seals and construct an igloo for shelter and feel pretty good about their situation. Very soon, however, the boys watch horrified as a polar bear snatches up a baby walrus, dragging it away squealing in its powerful jaws into the frigid water. They will need all of their courage, ingenuity, and faith to survive. Although this tale lacks the high energy and action of a Will Hobbs or Gary Paulsen adventure, it holds up well. Overall it is a good pick, particularly for adventure lovers. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M J (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Harcourt, 240p., $16. Ages 11 to 15.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"Ice Drift is . . . [a] page-turning tale of survival . . . a masterful and detailed look into a culture unfamiliar to most Americans, a gripping adventure, and a moving depiction of brotherly love."—School Library Journal"Fans of The Cay and novels by Jean Craighead George will enjoy both the intense survival detail and the gratifying conclusion."—Booklist
Children's Literature
An Inuit boy, Alika, age fourteen, must find the courage to fend for himself and his ten-year-old brother, Sulu, when they suddenly find themselves stranded on an ice floe during a seal hunt miles from their village home in the Arctic Circle. For six months, as the floe drifts down the Greenland Strait, Alika calms his brother's fears, and taps into an inner strength that enables him to replicate the hunting and survival skills learned from his parents and village elders. At his side, as guardian, seal sniffer, body warmer, and most trusted friend, is his husky lead sled dog, Jamka. Theodore Taylor is a capable storyteller. He has packed this 240-page story with many dangerous moments, including a run-in with a polar bear. Middle readers will find this an exciting tale. But they will also learn interesting facts about Inuit life and thirty-two Inuit words, which are highlighted in the book's glossary. Taylor decided to write this novel nearly sixty years after learning that nineteen people, including George E. Tyson, captain of the polar exploration ship, Polaris, survived a six-month isolation on an Arctic ice floe in 1871. They drifted eighteen hundred miles before being rescued. 2006, Harcourt, Ages 8 to 12.—Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt
VOYA
Author of The Cay (Doubleday, 1969) and Timothy of The Cay (Harcourt, 1993/VOYA December 1993), Taylor makes a solid contribution to the survival genre with this heartwarming story of two brothers trapped on a drifting ice floe off the Greenland Strait deep inside the Arctic Circle at the onset of winter in 1868. The cold and brittle setting contrasts nicely with the warmth and kindness shared by fourteen-year-old Aliki and ten-year-old Sulu as they battle intense cold, high wind, constant darkness, hunger, polar bears, and ultimately the melting of the floe from underneath them. Aliki is a born hunter, but the gentle-spirited Sulu loves birds, is a gifted sculptor, and finds killing distasteful at best. Aided by their trusty sledge dog, Jamka, the boys successfully hunt seals and construct an igloo for shelter and feel pretty good about their situation. Very soon, however, the boys watch horrified as a polar bear snatches up a baby walrus, dragging it away squealing in its powerful jaws into the frigid water. They will need all of their courage, ingenuity, and faith to survive. Although this tale lacks the high energy and action of a Will Hobbs or Gary Paulsen adventure, it holds up well. Overall it is a good pick, particularly for adventure lovers. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M J (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Harcourt, 240p., $16. Ages 11 to 15.—Tim Brennan