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The Iceberg Hermit

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By Lauren
The Iceberg Hermit
By Arthur Roth
Scholastic, c1974. 219 pages. Fiction.

Iceberg Hermit is about Allan, who is an apprentice aboard an Arctic whaling ship in the 1700's. The ship wrecks on an iceberg, and the boy is the only one to survive. He manages to make shelter, find food, and live off the (ice)land for over a year. He also befriends and raises a baby polar bear. Eventually, Allan sets out to cross the ice in hopes of finding others. He finds some natives and they help him find a returning whaling ship to get him home from Scotland. Ignore the horrendous cover, and let's pretend there's a better title...like, "Hatchet on Ice!" This gem of fiction was suggested to us by a patron. I loved it, and found it to be a very close readalike to Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, as far as the writing style and story elements.There's something for everyone: survival, history, and realism.

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curlyq said…
So is this like "Disney on Ice?" Sounds amazing! ( ;
March 15, 2012 at 2:51 PM
Ms. Yingling said…
My daughter's 4th grade teacher did this as a class novel for about 30 years, but she liked it because HE liked it so much. Have you read Phleger's Pilot Down, Presumed Dead? It's like Hatchet in the Desert!
March 16, 2012 at 4:34 AM
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