Lost in the Pacific by Tod Olson - ADVISABLE

Olson, Tod Lost in the Pacific, 1942, 176 pages.  Scholastic, OCTOBER 2016.  $13.  Language: G (3 swears); Mature Content: PG (one death); Violence: G.

After missing their stop for refueling during their Trans-Pacific journey, the crew of a B-17 bomber and their famous passenger, Eddie Rickenbacker, had to ditch the plane on the churning ocean and hope that they could survive in their tiny life rafts until someone could find them.  With Rickenbacker’s fame, they were sure that it would only be hours, maybe a couple days until they were picked up.  Instead, their grueling ordeal lasted 22 days.

Olson takes many different accounts of the events and weaves together a fascinating story of danger and survival in the 1940’s.  His notes about his editorial choices in the Author’s Note are illuminating.  It will be a solid addition to a narrative fiction collection.

MS – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher