Maisie vs Antarctica

Jack Jackman has actually spent time in Antarctica, so the background to this exciting story is therefore totally authentic, even if the plot is fantastical.  The first chapter sees Maisie, her father, and Guillermo their pilot about to crash-land in the Antarctic, and then we go back a bit to establish how this happened.

11-year-old Maisie is an imaginative child, who enjoys writing adventures for her protagonist, Nyghtshade, even if Dad says her writing is too messy for anyone to actually be able to read it. These adventures are a contrast with her real life, which she thinks is excruciatingly boring, and she feels over-protected, as her dad is trying to compensate for the fact her mother had died shortly after her birth. He is also a writer, of ‘How to’ books e.g. ‘How to wrestle crocodiles’ and ‘How to defuse a bomb’, though Maisie is disappointed that he has had no experience of any of these dangerous activities. His next book will be ‘How to survive in Antarctica’, hence their trip, Maisie accompanying him when the baby-sitting arrangement falls through. The crash is not as disastrous as Maisie expected, and it seems strange things happen when Dad is around: the trio have been hungry for a few days, and he produces energy bars from his pocket, which turn out to be the same brand as they have in the research station many miles away.   It takes a while for Dad’s secret to emerge, and there are huge implications for Maisie.

There are fascinating facts about Antarctica, and life in a Research Station, throughout this book, which is an added bonus.

Jack Jackman does seem to be able to get into the head of an 11-year-old girl in this, his debut novel, and her descriptions and inner thoughts are hugely enjoyable. At the end we are given a sneak peek at the next book: Maisie vs the Himalayas, and it looks as if there may be further adventures to look forward to.