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jackgray's review against another edition
4.0
“One thing I knew for certain. Captain Childs would have been proud of me then”.
matilda_holroyd_'s review
3.0
This book tells the life story of Matthew Henderson, who was part of the party, who reached the North Pole. For the first time it tells the story of a black man, and his struggle to get recognition, despite his resilience and hard work.
“Life is a journey towards death. Live as well as you can”
“Life is a journey towards death. Live as well as you can”
mat_tobin's review against another edition
4.0
Abused by his step-mother, Matthew runs away with no money to his name but a spark of hope that the nearest city, Washington DC, will provide him with the opportunity for success. As luck would have it, fortune shines on Matt and he ends up working for a kindly woman, Janey Moore, whose Café is much loved by the poorer locals.
Finally able to establish himself, Matthew finds himself inspired by tales of adventure and exploration from one of the café visitors, Baltimore Jack, and decides to take to the high seas. He heads towards the docks of Kennard Wharf and good fortune places him in the path of a fine captain. From here, Matt’s life becomes rich and varied with his adventures eventually taking him to the North Pole. But will his skill, knowledge and courage give him the credit he deserves or, as a black man, will it sink beneath the waves and never surface?
Catherine Johnson is doing an excellent job of breathing life into the lost stories of should-be-famous black people. Matthew Henson’s story was one I had never heard of before as was those of Olaudah Equiano and Shadrack Furman in Freedom. As always, Johnson’s light prose presented in Barrington Stoke’s most-welcome dyslexia-friendly format means that this is an accessible and important story for many readers. Let’s hope she continues writing these.
Finally able to establish himself, Matthew finds himself inspired by tales of adventure and exploration from one of the café visitors, Baltimore Jack, and decides to take to the high seas. He heads towards the docks of Kennard Wharf and good fortune places him in the path of a fine captain. From here, Matt’s life becomes rich and varied with his adventures eventually taking him to the North Pole. But will his skill, knowledge and courage give him the credit he deserves or, as a black man, will it sink beneath the waves and never surface?
Catherine Johnson is doing an excellent job of breathing life into the lost stories of should-be-famous black people. Matthew Henson’s story was one I had never heard of before as was those of Olaudah Equiano and Shadrack Furman in Freedom. As always, Johnson’s light prose presented in Barrington Stoke’s most-welcome dyslexia-friendly format means that this is an accessible and important story for many readers. Let’s hope she continues writing these.
amy_louise's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Child abuse
elliereadsss's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I read this book twice for a book club with high school students, and we all enjoyed it a lot. This book tells the story of Matthew Henson in a very accessible way- if you don't know, Matthew Henson was the first man to reach the North Pole, but his achievements were ignored in the USA due to the fact he was a Black man in 20th Century America. Catherine Johnson did such a good job depicting this mans story in my opinion, it was an easy read yet so impactful and important. I did feel that the narrative was a little rushed in parts with certain aspects brushed over, but this makes sense when considering the target audience and the need to keep them engaged whilst recounting such a long period of time. I'd recommend this book for all ages, but particularly it's target audience of 9-12 year olds!
ros_lanta's review
3.5
I was really interested to read about Matthew Henson, but I would personally have preferred non-fiction rather than a fictionalised account. I did enjoy the book though.