Product Description

Captain Titus Oates, hero of the Antarctic, has been dead for nearly a century. But not in Sym's head. In there, he is her constant companion, her soulmate, her adviser. It is as if he walked out of the Polar blizzard and into her mind. In fact, if it were not for Titus, life might be as bleak a place as the Antarctic wilderness. When she is taken on a mystery expedition by her eccentric uncle Victor, Sym can't believe her luck. Destination Antarctica-the very place she's always wanted to visit. But Victor has other plans, more sinister than Sym could possibly imagine. Stranded in the most isolated part of the world with her trust in someone she comes to realize is a madman, she must find a way to avoid a gruesome fate. But what should a teenage girl do? Could it be that Titus, the one who perished in that very place, will be the means of her survival?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #98574 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

The Observer, September 18, 2005
A dazzling, pitiless story about Antarctica. McCaughrean’s imagination is fierce, tireless, unpredictable.

The Guardian, September 10, 2005
McCaughrean writes every sort of book and she seems to produce them in the way a rose bush produces flowers

The Scottish Herald, September 10, 2005
This novel places McCaughrean on the highest plateau of UK children’s authors.

Customer Reviews

Challenging and beautiful
This book can be read on so many levels and no matter what you look for in a story you'll find somethig here for you. Its a story of adventure and redemption, a love story, a study of madness and human nature. Recommended for all readers, young and old, male and female!
I found the characters had great depth to them, in particular Sym and her very mad uncle. There is a malevolence and menace to the uncle that gradually comes to the surface. When you finally do see the extent of his insanity it is terrifying.
Sym's descriptions of the Antartic are vivid and questioning...why does nature go to all the trouble of being so beautiful when no one is there to see it? She is a likable character, realistically awkward and ugly-duckling like, refreshing in her naiviety.
Give this book a try. You wont be disappointed.

Deserves to win the Children's and Adult Whitbred
I absolutley love this book. Yet again Geraldine Mccaughrean has produced a book for the young adult market which surpassess anything else on the reading shelves. Sym is a teenage girl going through teen things until her uncle decides to take her to Paris or so she and everyone elso thinks, that is until she arrives in the antarctic. To help her on this trip is her soul companion who lives in her head and just so happens to be Captain Lawrence(Titus) Oates who was on the fateful Scott expedition and who so memorably walked out of the tent leaving a note saying "I maybe some time". Can Titus help save our intrepid heroine? I would recommend reading it to find out not only about Sym but also about the Arctic and Titus Oates. This is an absolutely fabulous read and will stay with you forever.

Magnificent!
This is without a doubt one of the best books I've read this year...and possibly one of the best reads ever. Thought-provoking, moving, descriptive, and with a dash of humour. The characters were great, especially Sym, the main character. She makes a nice change from most forthright and bold heroes, and I loved watching her grow in confidence through her adventures. The descriptions of Antarctica were breathtaking.
Read it!