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The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World
The sun never sets, the air is twenty degrees below zero, and the ice is moving at four hundred yards an hour. Welcome to the North Pole. In 2003, environmental reporter Andrew Revkin joined a scientific expedition to one of the world's last uncharted frontiers, where he was the first New York Times reporter ever to file stories and photographs from the top of the world.
In his quest to understand the pole, Andrew leads readers through the mysterious history of arctic exploration; he follows oceanographers as they drill a hole through nine feet of ice to dive into waters below; peers into the mysteries of climate modeling and global warming; and ultimately shows how the fate of the pole will affect us all.
In his quest to understand the pole, Andrew leads readers through the mysterious history of arctic exploration; he follows oceanographers as they drill a hole through nine feet of ice to dive into waters below; peers into the mysteries of climate modeling and global warming; and ultimately shows how the fate of the pole will affect us all.
- GenresNonfiction
128 pages, Hardcover
First published April 22, 2006
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 6, 2007
Really cool environmental book for young people. NY Times content, formatted well, and delivered without being preachy. Great pictures and narration. Booktalk below.
The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World, by Andrew C. Revkin.
How would you like to be an explorer? To find that last undiscovered part of the Earth? Well, the Arctic Ocean is it. Only, its not full of lush forests and still-thriving dinosaurs, or talking monkeys or Faeries or Elves. In fact, its not full of just about anything. Except ice. Pic Vast giant fields of ice, stretching for hundreds of miles.
My name is Andrew Revkin. I write for the New York Times. “Welcome to life around the North Pole. The air is fifteen degrees below zero. The sun is circling in low, twenty-four hour loops. If you define a day as the stretch between sunrise and sunset, today will begin March 21st and end on September 21st. We are at one of the two places on the earth’s surface where time loses all meaning. The only reason anyone here has any idea whether we should be asleep or eating lunch or breakfast is because the Russian crew running operations on the ice have set their watches to Moscow time. The only food I will eat in the next eight hours is a shared half-frozen salmon sandwich. And I am in love with this place.” (p.12-13)
This is the powerful pull of our North Pole, both magnetic and emotional. It has drawn explorers, scientists, skiers, skydivers, and even reporters in with icy secrets. Will you be next? If so you’d better hurry, or the polar bears may vanish along with the mystery deep inside the cracks in the ice. Pic The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World, by Andrew C. Revkin.
The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World, by Andrew C. Revkin.
How would you like to be an explorer? To find that last undiscovered part of the Earth? Well, the Arctic Ocean is it. Only, its not full of lush forests and still-thriving dinosaurs, or talking monkeys or Faeries or Elves. In fact, its not full of just about anything. Except ice. Pic Vast giant fields of ice, stretching for hundreds of miles.
My name is Andrew Revkin. I write for the New York Times. “Welcome to life around the North Pole. The air is fifteen degrees below zero. The sun is circling in low, twenty-four hour loops. If you define a day as the stretch between sunrise and sunset, today will begin March 21st and end on September 21st. We are at one of the two places on the earth’s surface where time loses all meaning. The only reason anyone here has any idea whether we should be asleep or eating lunch or breakfast is because the Russian crew running operations on the ice have set their watches to Moscow time. The only food I will eat in the next eight hours is a shared half-frozen salmon sandwich. And I am in love with this place.” (p.12-13)
This is the powerful pull of our North Pole, both magnetic and emotional. It has drawn explorers, scientists, skiers, skydivers, and even reporters in with icy secrets. Will you be next? If so you’d better hurry, or the polar bears may vanish along with the mystery deep inside the cracks in the ice. Pic The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World, by Andrew C. Revkin.
July 1, 2009
i enjoyed this book for its description of what it's like to do research in the Arctic. Bring pencils, not pens, because ink freezes! I love reading about the early exploration of the Arctic, and wish there had been more on that. The author talks about how global warming may be shrinking the ice cap, and how some day it may all be open water up there.
Countries are already thinking ahead about drilling for oil reserves, and are arguing about who owns what underwater mountains and ridges. The vultures are poised to swoop... but they may have a long wait. Scientists (according to the author) have a hard time telling whether current conditions there are due to normal climate fluctuations or global warming. All in all, an interesting book.
Countries are already thinking ahead about drilling for oil reserves, and are arguing about who owns what underwater mountains and ridges. The vultures are poised to swoop... but they may have a long wait. Scientists (according to the author) have a hard time telling whether current conditions there are due to normal climate fluctuations or global warming. All in all, an interesting book.
November 11, 2025
pretty interesting
March 25, 2008
Andrew C. Revkin, The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)
Given the title of this book and a bubbly blurb from eco-wingnut Bill McKibben, I was expecting the usual knee-jerk no-brain “OMG THE WORLD IS BURNING UP” nonsense. To say that what I got was a pleasant surprise would be an understatement in the extreme. New York Times columnist Revkin, who has been writing about environmental issues (with, given the article snippets presented in this book, a surprisingly clear head), spent a few days at the North Pole with a research team and reports on what he saw and the conversations he had. (The seemingly alarmist title is explained by the fact that the polar ice is in constant motion; you can't stick a pole in the ice and say “the North Pole is here,” because the pole will move a few miles a day.) These are intercut with North Pole-related articles from Revkin and other Times columnists.
Revkin buys into the “climate change is happening” rhetoric, but he repeatedly goes out of his way to point out that humanity has no way of knowing how much-- or if-- it contributes, and how much is natural cycles. That alone makes this a must-read for kids interested in global warming. In addition, Revkin is fascinated and awed by the simple majesty of the Pole, and interested in the history of humanity's attempts to get there, and it all makes for good reading. Fun for the adults in the family as well as the kids. ****
Given the title of this book and a bubbly blurb from eco-wingnut Bill McKibben, I was expecting the usual knee-jerk no-brain “OMG THE WORLD IS BURNING UP” nonsense. To say that what I got was a pleasant surprise would be an understatement in the extreme. New York Times columnist Revkin, who has been writing about environmental issues (with, given the article snippets presented in this book, a surprisingly clear head), spent a few days at the North Pole with a research team and reports on what he saw and the conversations he had. (The seemingly alarmist title is explained by the fact that the polar ice is in constant motion; you can't stick a pole in the ice and say “the North Pole is here,” because the pole will move a few miles a day.) These are intercut with North Pole-related articles from Revkin and other Times columnists.
Revkin buys into the “climate change is happening” rhetoric, but he repeatedly goes out of his way to point out that humanity has no way of knowing how much-- or if-- it contributes, and how much is natural cycles. That alone makes this a must-read for kids interested in global warming. In addition, Revkin is fascinated and awed by the simple majesty of the Pole, and interested in the history of humanity's attempts to get there, and it all makes for good reading. Fun for the adults in the family as well as the kids. ****
September 25, 2008
Summary: An journalist travels to the North Pole to document the current conditions of the Arctic. He describes his journey while providing recent news articles and scientific details explaining the causes of the devastation to the area. He also reports on the current experiments being conducted by researchers in the Arctic.
Uses: independent reading for fluent readers in the secondary grades, recommend to student who are interested in geography or weather patterns, suggest to students who may resist informational books (biography is very interesting and story-like)
Social issues: global warming, caring for our environment, adventurers who risk their lives to benefit society, scientist who are dedicated to improving society
Other: many examples of genres provided for children to witness; informational picture book for children; lots of facts and tidbits in the margins of the pages
Uses: independent reading for fluent readers in the secondary grades, recommend to student who are interested in geography or weather patterns, suggest to students who may resist informational books (biography is very interesting and story-like)
Social issues: global warming, caring for our environment, adventurers who risk their lives to benefit society, scientist who are dedicated to improving society
Other: many examples of genres provided for children to witness; informational picture book for children; lots of facts and tidbits in the margins of the pages
August 10, 2016
In a place where “the sun never sets” and “the air is twenty degrees below zero,” New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin accompanies a team of scientists to perhaps the most famous location which is never in the same spot twice, the North Pole. Revkin combines his own arctic experiences with the historical adventures of some of the world’s most daring explorers who competed to find the point “where all is south.” Scientific research at the pole is discussed, including an introduction to oceanography, core samples of rock and geology, and the implications of climate change. Maps, photographs, and diagrams enhance the information by matching faces with explorers and images with the technological tools and scientific concepts mentioned in the book. Young readers will be enticed by the mystique and danger found in the cold Arctic and the heroic feats of the people that have entered it throughout history. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
November 9, 2008
Genre: Biographical and Informational non-fiction
Reading Level: Fluent
Topics & Themes: The North Pole, traveling to it and history of visits.
Curricular Use: Independent reading, supplement to textbook readings. More of a story format than straight fact.
Social: Global warming and the fears of the North Pole disappearing.
Literary Elements: Multiple genres: author's story, newspaper articles, maps, graphs, and charts.
Text & Pictures: Pictures support text. Captions tell the reader how the various medias found relate to the text. Example: Photographs of North Pole explorers and the North Pole with details of of who included in the photo.
Reading Level: Fluent
Topics & Themes: The North Pole, traveling to it and history of visits.
Curricular Use: Independent reading, supplement to textbook readings. More of a story format than straight fact.
Social: Global warming and the fears of the North Pole disappearing.
Literary Elements: Multiple genres: author's story, newspaper articles, maps, graphs, and charts.
Text & Pictures: Pictures support text. Captions tell the reader how the various medias found relate to the text. Example: Photographs of North Pole explorers and the North Pole with details of of who included in the photo.
October 12, 2008
This book leads readers through the mysterious history of Arctic exploration, follows oceanographers as they drill a hole through nine feet of ice to dive into waters below, and peers into the mysteries of climate modeling and global warming.
Middle Grades 4-8
Topic - Subtopic: Adventure-Discovery/Exploration; Countries/Regions-Arctic; People-Explorers; Recommended Reading-Junior Library Guild Selection; Recommended Reading-NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science; Recommended Reading-NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies; Recommended Reading-Junior Library Guild-2006 Spring Jr./Sr. High;
Middle Grades 4-8
Topic - Subtopic: Adventure-Discovery/Exploration; Countries/Regions-Arctic; People-Explorers; Recommended Reading-Junior Library Guild Selection; Recommended Reading-NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science; Recommended Reading-NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies; Recommended Reading-Junior Library Guild-2006 Spring Jr./Sr. High;
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June 12, 2013More than any other writer, Revkin has followed and told the story of the vanishing polar ice cap and what it means to the broader global-warming story. The book is written for younger readers because Revkin feels his (our) generation has already lost its chance to make truly effective climate mitigation.
February 12, 2009
I love to read anything about the poles! They just fascinate me; I mean who doesn’t fantasize about the ends of the Earth? This book covers both the legends and lore of the northern most point as well as the science of the cold and white place. A good read for both the young and old.
September 7, 2008
I never looked at the North Pole the way this book did. I thought that the book had great information in it and would be very useful in a classroom for a lesson or unit on the North Pole.
February 2, 2012
Had to read for school. extremely boring would never recommend.
May 20, 2014
Excellent photos and an engaging read for anyone interested in learning about climate change.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews