ALA Booklist (Mon May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Perhaps not as famous as Columbus or Lewis and Clark, Ferdinand Magellan remains a notable explorer for being the first to circumnavigate the world (well, almost). In this young reader's edition of his best-selling Over the Edge of the World (2003), Bergreen relies on numerous primary sources to shed light on Magellan's historic voyage. The author first sets the scene, describing the dangers of exploration in the 1500s and the political rifts between Portugal and Spain, which literally divided the world in half. He makes it clear that Magellan, a Portuguese captain sailing for Spain, was doomed from the start as his small armada set out to find the Spice Islands. The detailed narrative, accompanied by maps and artwork, depicts Magellan's ruthless behavior against natives and often mutinous sailors, which led to his controversial murder. Bergreen also pays homage to the overlooked crew, who were actually the first to sail the globe. Although condensed from the original, this version remains sophisticated and will appeal most to skilled teen readers and even adults.

Kirkus Reviews

Bergreen ably adapts his book for adults Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe (2003) into a gripping and harrowing true adventure story for young readers. Magellan is portrayed as a completely fearless, often reckless opportunist who had an uncanny ability to make powerful enemies and earn the enmity of his crew. Outsized ambitions led him to abandon his native Portugal for the chance to command an expedition for archrival Spain, which made him commander of the largest and best-equipped expedition of the time to find the fabled Spice Islands and claim the lands he found along the way for Spain and the Catholic Church. Surviving near-constant mutinies, treacherous sailing conditions, and frequent threats of starvation, Magellan brought his expedition as far as the Philippines, where he was killed in a confrontation with the inhabitants of Cebu. Though Magellan's armada went on to the Spice Islands without him, further tragedies reduced the fleet of five ships and 260 sailors to a single battered vessel with 18 survivors that returned to Spain. Bergreen recounts in vivid and grisly detail the wretched conditions the crews of the ships had to endure, skillfully explaining the complicated geopolitics of the era and the historical import of the expedition. An engrossing, dramatic account of courage and tragedy from the Age of Discovery. (maps, charts, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Voice of Youth Advocates (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Magellan is one of the best known explorers in history, and his voyage taking an easterly route to the Spice Islands from Spain in the 1500s was unprecedented. Only one ship, of the five that started the voyage, completed the journey to become the first to successfully circumnavigate the globe. The king of Spain made a sizable profit from the spices they were able to bring him; the profit came at the cost of the three ships and hundreds of men. Those few sailors who returned to Spain had survived countless storms, several bouts of scurvy, hunger, war, rotting ships, and mutiny, making for a harrowing tale that required the courts of Spain to sort out once and for all. Although Magellan died during the journey, he first discovered the route to pass through South America, eventually named the Strait of Magellan. He is also credited with discovering two dwarf galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds. Bergreen’s YA version of his award-winning 2003 adult title chronicles the harrowing journey around the world. It will grab the interest of history buffs and adventurers. Some minutiae of the voyage and events surrounding it will slow down those seeking the high-action and gory details of hardship and discovery. Above all, the author focuses on documenting the individuals and their fates; young adult readers will be largely unfamiliar with the names from a historical context but will be enthralled with the mutinies, murder, and mayhem of history.—Elisabeth W. Rauch.