Who Was Ernest Shackleton? by James Buckley Jr.

Who Was Ernest Shackleton? Reviews

• 
  Kelli

  My son has been reading this book out loud to me since he discovered I was listening to an audiobook on Shackleton. I can’t say enough about this wonderful children’s series that brings to life so many important people. Excellent intro to non-fiction for elementary school readers.
  
  *I should add upon finishing the audio, I choose this book instead. Factual, succinct information here about an incredible test of strength and endurance for Shackleton and his men. This little book proved more interesting to me than
  Endurance: Shackleton’s incredible voyage
• 
  Zoe Anastasia

  Ernest Shackleton has one of the most interesting and insane stories I’ve ever heard. I don’t understand how he survived Antarctica so long and kept all his men alive, especially with all the obstacles they ran into, but it’s clear his leadership skills made the difference. Everyone should learn about his story.
• 
  Mr. Gottshalk

  Ernest Shackleton was kind of a modern explorer, because when he sailed in the early 1900s, most of the planet had been discovered already. I was still interested to learn about Antarctica and the courage it took to sail down there, knowing it's the coldest place on the planet. The book was satisfying enough - now I want to learn more about him and his expedition! Don't want to say any more (spoiler alerts)!
• 
  Joey Oborne

  This book is very interesting because this book told me a lot about Shackleton and I did not even know one thing about this guy. I learned that he was a Antarctic explore and he was around ice most of his life. (I just think that is so cool).
• 
  Janete on hiatus due health issues

  For me, who is studying English on my own, this book was easy and interesting. By the way, I love this series of books "Who was...?"
• 
  Rina

  I quite enjoyed learning more about this explorer of the freezing cold. This book was more interesting to me than the Abigail Adams book since I knew (in the recesses of my mind) most of her story and Shackleton's story was for the most part a new bit of history to me.
  
  The writing is simple and engaging. Kids will enjoy his adventures living in a boat and on ice for months on end. The illustrations are very well done and really enhance the text.
  
  At the end of the book are two timelines, one of his life and one of world events. There is a bibliography that includes several websites. Nothing listed is specifically geared toward children but students 5th grade and up should find the websites interesting and informative.
  
  Review first posted on my blog (along with reviews of two other book in the series):
  http://rinasreading.blogspot.com/2014...
• 
  Heather

  I love just about anything to do with Ernest Shackleton! He was an amazing man, and I love to learn more.
  
  This book is a great introduction to Shackleton's story. The only thing that I don't care for is how difficult it can be to read the small, squished font of the comic sections. I love the story, and I think the author did a good job fitting the story to an introductory, younger audience. There are other books about Shackleton I like better, but I like how this one tells more about the man in a biography format.
  
  4/11/2020 I must have a short memory because I just reread this and thought it was for the first time. I guess this is why some of it seemed familiar!! Haha!
  I think the beginning of this book is chunked strangely, making it difficult for kids to understand. The 'comic' sections, as I called them above, would be better left until a little later in the book, once the main story was well-established.
• 
  David

  Who Was Ernest Shackleton? by James Buckley Jr. tells the story of a boy who was born to explore and experience adventures on a grand scale. He always had a fascination for ships and as soon as he turned sixteen he managed to sign on as an apprentice seaman. He developed and honed his skills during a time when there were many other explorers trying to be the first to reach the North Pole and then the South Pole. Most of his focus was on the South Pole as the North Pole had already been achieved. His first attempt for the South Pole was as a crew member with another explorer that ended in failure. The author shares the results of his research through Shackleton's several attempts to reach the Pole including the most serious one that turned into a failure followed by an epic struggle for survival for which he is widely known. Well-researched and presented in an easy-to-read book that covers the highs and lows in the life of this famous explorer.
• 
  Rita Araújo

  “I wanted to be free. I wanted to escape from a routine which didn´t at all agree with my nature…” – Ernest Shackleton
• 
  Robin

  My first book read for today’s Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon! A book I will share with my grandson! A nicely written story of one of my heroes!
• 
  Jayden

  This was a very interesting and fun biography book to read. I enjoyed it a lot and I definitely recommend you to read the book.
• 
  Pumkin pie

  I loved it.
• 
  Kate Adams

  I had higher hopes for this one.
• 
  Jenni Sauer

  As this is the first book I've read in this series so I figured I should start with someone I knew well. Obviously when I found there was one about Shackleton I knew that was the one I needed to read!
  
  This book does a good job giving the facts in plain simple ways that a younger reader can understand and enjoy without dumbing any of it down. Nothing is left out of this story- it details Shackleton's life and adventures well. I look forward to the day my nephew is old enough to read it.
  
  The only downside I would say is that while I loved all the extra info included (little snippets about the other arctic explorers and their voyages, wildlife of the arctic, etc.) I was disappointed with the placement of it. Often it was stuck in the middle of a chapter on a two page spread; in one instance I was turning the page to finish a sentence and instead found two pages on how surveying equipment works.
  
  That said this is a book about my hero and it did him justice. I cried several times reading these pages (what can I say? I'm emotional when it comes to Shackleton). I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to find out more about this amazing explorer :3
• 
  Shelli

  The Who Was…? biography series are perfect for elementary or intermediate age students interested learning about the featured person for an assignment or just for an exciting read. The afterward portion in this edition has a timeline on one side showing key events in Ernest Shackleton's life and the opposite page shows worldwide key events during the same time period. Making for an interesting comparison and will help readers get a better feel for what else was happening at those times.
  
  Additional note: Usually I am blown away with the amount of information that is squeezed into these mini-chapter books. However, this one was not as informative as some of the picture books I have read on Shackleton.
• 
  Rachel

  Interesting. He died quite young and it seems he spent more time gone than at home.
  
  Ernest was obsessed with the sea and exploration. Since he was born in the late 1800s, exploration was pretty much limited to the Poles. He went on several expeditions to the South Pole. I don't know that he ever reached it, but he did manage to keep alive his own expedition, even after their ship was crushed in ice and sank.
  
  I wonder what drives some people to explore, push out, seek adventure?
  
  Ernest was interesting not because of what he accomplished (others actually arguably did more), but because he actually saved the lives of people he was with.
• 
  Ashlee

  This was an interesting little read. I have never heard of Ernest Shackleton before.
  I wanted more from the reading, but I understand this is a children's book. I decided to do more outside research on my own though.
  
  In the book, the advertisement Ernest put in the newspaper to recruit men who were willing to explore Antartica with him intrigued me.
  
  This is what it said
  
  "Men wanted
  
  For hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months, of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success."
• 
  Kristen

  I already have a basic knowledge of Ernest Shackleton having watched the TV series about him several years ago. I found this book to be a great read aloud for our family. The chapters are the perfect length to read aloud and it is packed full of information about his life and paid special attention to the time on the Endurance.
  
  I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Shackleton.
• 
  Roger Flores-Chacon

  I chose the book because I just wanted to learn about someone else's life. Ernest Shackleton was one of the many people who ventured Antarctica but without having to have a crew member die on the ship to and from the South Pole. This book did surprise me on how harsh it used to be to survive on the frozen ice lands.
• 
  Dan

  I have learned many things about Ernest Shackleton by reading this book. He was a determined man and a good leader as well as organizer. This is an interesting read that I would suggest to anyone who knows little to nothing about the man.
• 
  Jean

  This is a much more typical children's biography. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, except possibly that it gives the ending away in the prologue, but neither is it particularly inspired. It benefits, however, from having a fabulous story to tell.
• 
  Mary T

  I really enjoy this series! I was amazed at how Shackleton led his crew in such extreme circumstances. He boosted morale, kept them alive, and led with excellence. Too bad he wasn't the same kind of leader with his own family.
• 
  Emma

  What accomplishments!
• 
  Yvonne

  Interesting overview of the drive Ernest had for adventure and his harrowing tale of his adventures at trying to get to the south pole.
• 
  Elizabeth

  Read for a book club Learned a lot about him, hadn't known much before.