Matthew Henson: The Quest for the North Pole

Sterling Biographies

by Kathleen Olmstead

He risked the great unknown…and became the first man to reach the North Pole. But it took decades for the cloud of racism to lift and give African-American explorer Matthew Henson the rightful recognition for his extraordinary achievements. Here is the story of Henson’s dramatic, groundbreaking life.
Matthew began his travels as a ship’s cabin boy, but it was his partnership with Robert E. Peary that made history. Although he acted as the team’s indispensable carpenter, hunter, navigator, and interpreter, his crucial role in the expedition went largely unacknowledged. Kathleen Olmstead, the adaptor of several Classic Starts(R) novels, captures all the adventure, danger, and thrills involved in reaching the top of the world

Genres: Nonfiction, History

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Kathleen Olmstead is the author of several Classic Starts books, including Anne of Avonlea and Moby Dick, as well as Jacques Cousteau: A Life Under the Sea and Matthew Henson: The Quest for the North Pole, both in the Sterling Biographies series.

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fairly decent biography for kids about Matthew Henson, who went to the North Pole with Robert Peary (and was possibly technically the first person to reach it).

There are a lot of unknowns in Henson's life, since he kept changing his story about how things happened over the years, and I like that Olmstead notes when there are conflicting versions of events, but it seemed like she always went with whichever version was the most dramatic, whether it was likely to be true or not. I would have liked a little more conjecture as to why Henson might have given such varying stories over the course of his life, but maybe a bio for kids is not really the place for that.

There were also some enticing mysteries set up that Olmstead never really goes back to. She mentions that on the first trip to Greenland one man doesn't come back with the group--he doesn't make it back to the ship in time and they leave him there. What on earth happened to that guy? Did he ever make it back home? I mean, that seems like kind of a big deal, right? But Olmstead doesn't say, which...is weird to me. I'll have to look that one up elsewhere for myself. There were a couple other instances like that as well.

But on the plus side, the story is told engagingly, with quotes from Henson and Peary and others at the beginnning of each chapter, and there are lots of great photos and descriptive information about various related topics, like Inuit snowshoes or Dr. Frederick Cook or the difference between the Geographical and the Magnetic North Pole.

I think it's a good overview of what Arctic exploration was like back then and of Henson's involvement in Peary's expeditions, and also of Henson's place in history, long ignored. I'm definitely planning on reading at least one of Henson's autobiographies/memoirs in the future, and hopefully another biography about him that goes into a good deal more depth though.

In any case, this is definitely well worth a read for kids interested in polar exploration and/or African American history.

[Sanalith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short biography of Mathew Henson, an African-American explorer who joined Commander Perry on his journey to the North Pole. I read this for a book club on polar exploration, and chose it mainly because of the race aspect. While Henson was with Perry every step of the way, and often did more of the actual, physical work, he wasn't acknowledged as more than Perry's "Negro manservant" for most of his life. Though just over 100 pages, it provided a very nice synopsis of the hardships presented by polar exploration in general, and of Henson's personal struggle to be respected and recognized on his own merits. Unfortunately, I somehow failed to miss when I ordered it that this was a book meant for grade school children, so it's definitely not very detailed, but it was still an interesting read.

[Gretchen]

This book is about, it is about a man that was a free man, it was unusual because he was a black man he lived with his dad and stepmom. Once his dad died his stepmom was harsh. She treated him like a slave, one night he ran away.he walked miles to the next town.Luckily found a nice lady who owned a restaurant and she let him work there. There was a special customer that came in and told wonderful stories about the sea and life on the boat. Matthew wanted to see what it was about so went with him learned things like medical help, cleaning, and cooking. After months at sea he worked at a store. One day he got called back and called to talk to another captain and wanted to use Matthew as a good worker on a boat . That crew was not as nice to him because of his skin. matthew had many other adventures in his life and had a good active life.

[Neil M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew Henson:the quest for the North Pole is an intriging story that goes from birth to death. In between is a story about a young boy running way from home to a new life and eventually reaching the North pole. The book had many interesting facts that would blow my mind. Although, at times it would repeat unnecasary details that would be repeated and get a little bit boring. This non-fiction biography of Matthew Henson taught me a lot about his life and his journey to north pole. The illustrations had pictures of the north, Matt himself, and other interesting stuff. If you are young and have a dream in life come an read this book!

[Joey Gaylord · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a famous explorer who went to the north pole.Matthew Henson did not do it alone,he had his friend helped him, and his name was Peary.It tells about his live and what he wanted to do when he was older.It tells how he service in the north pole.I hope you have a fun time reading it.