Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Starred Review In richly illustrated journal entries, nine-year-old Sophie Scott shares the adventure of her monthlong voyage to Mawson Station, in Antarctica, on the icebreaker her dad captains. Flanked by endpapers with detailed maps, Lester's colorful and engaging picture book is a fount of facts about the southernmost continent. In short paragraphs, Sophie talks about the South Pole's early explorers, life in an Antarctic research station and aboard an icebreaker, types of icebergs, Antarctic wildlife, the origins of the aurora australis, and more. The lively art has a playful, childlike feel, and, along with dozens of photos, the full-page reproductions of student paintings of Antarctic scenes, submitted to Lester during her own trip there in 2005, are an especially nice touch. There's even a little bit of tension, as Sophie gets stranded at Mawson during a blizzard, and readers are reminded that, despite the fun tone of Sophie's tale, expeditions to the Antarctic are serious business. But the real draw is the wealth of fascinating information about a place few people will ever get a chance to visit. Inquisitive readers eager to learn about the most mysterious corners of the planet will love this glimpse into near-uncharted territory.

Kirkus Reviews

A fictionalized personal narrative, based on the author's own journey, that chronicles a little girl's expedition to Antarctica. Sophie's father is the captain of the Aurora Australis, an icebreaker that travels to Mawson Station to deliver supplies and transport scientists and other researchers. On this last trip before winter makes the sea impassable, 9-year-old Sophie is invited along. In diary format, she explores the giant red ship and keeps a sharp eye out for penguins, seals, whales and, of course, icebergs. After 13 days, the Aurora Australis finally reaches its destination. At the research station, Sophie follows ropes to different buildings (helpful during the blizzard she gets caught in!) and learns how to live on Antarctica. After a few days, she makes the return trip back home. Interspersed with Lester's thin line drawings of Sophie and the crew are actual photographs of the icebreaker and its surroundings. Lester also includes illustrations from Kids Antarctic Art, a traveling exhibition where students from around the world share their artistic interpretations of this cold, icy continent. A novel approach that may seem cluttered at times but packs in plenty of facts, history and interesting tidbits and is told from a welcome, fresh perspective. (maps, glossary) (Picture book. 6-9)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Lester-s 2005 journey to Antarctica-s Mawson Station inspired this informative story of a fictional expedition, chronicled through the affable diary entries of a girl named Sophie. The nine-year-old accompanies her father, captain of an Australian icebreaker carrying scientists and supplies to this remote research center. Sophie-s chatty account of life on board the ship reveals a flair for description: -The dining-room portholes go underwater every time the ship does a big roll. It-s like we-re eating inside a washing machine.- Sophie also offers enthusiastic observations of the natural world, as she spots exotically shaped icebergs; penguins, seals, and whales; and the Southern Lights. Graphically, Lester (Noni the Pony) mixes it up, meshing factual illustrations (a cross-section view of the ship, a look at how icebergs are formed) and lighthearted images (the ship-s crew pictured as cut-paper doll chains, penguins wearing bow ties). Photos of Lester-s own Antarctica trip are incorporated throughout, along with pictures that children drew in response to e-mails she sent to schools and families about her voyage. Endpapers packed with historic, geographic, and scientific statistics provide additional info about the continent. Ages 6-9. (Nov.)

School Library Journal (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

K-Gr 4 In this stimulating, well-integrated mixture of text and images, a fictional nine-year-old accompanies her dad, the captain of the Aurora Australis , as he delivers people and supplies to Mawson Station in Antarctica. Lester based the book on her own six-week excursion on the vessel. She combines sketches and paintings of Sophie-peeking out from her curtained berth or finding her way back to the station in a blizzard using rope-with rubber stamps, photographs, and art by children, received in response to emails she sent during her journey. Sophie's journal entries make up the text. There is great child appeal in the images, harsh conditions, and survival strategies, as well as in the behavior of animals. Diagrams depict ship parts and how icebergs are made; captioned postage stamps describe the fates of four early explorers. Occasional sequential photographs, sometimes grouped as 20 to 25 rectangles to a page, reveal the multiple moods of icebergs and sunsets and convey the sense that this adventure really happened. Endpapers contain geographical and historical tidbits and maps, first with a traditional view, where Antarctica is the southern-most point, and then an aerial view. This subject matter is similar to Sophie Webb's My Season With Penguins (Houghton Harcourt, 2000) and Jennifer Owings Dewey's Antarctic Journal (HarperCollins, 2001), though both of those volumes are rather dense for the picture-book format. Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library