Written by: Geraldine McCaughrean
New York: HarperTempest, 2005; 400 pages
Symone is a 14 year old girl, living with her mom and Uncle Victor. Her father has passed away, but has left her with a love for Antarctica. She has an obsession with learning as much as she can about the frozen continent and getting all the encouragement she would ever need from her Uncle Victor. Symone, called Sym in the book, is quiet and reserved because she has trouble hearing. Uncle Victor takes her mom and her off for a wonderful adventure, but cleverly steals her mom’s passport, preventing Symone’s mom from accompanying them on their adventure. Sym’s uncle takes her away on an expedition to Antarctica where she meets an interesting group of adventurers. Uncle Victor brings Sym to Antarctica to help him find a mythical place called Symme’s Hole. This hole is a direct path to the center of the earth, where Victor plans to send Sym and another young male traveler to repopulate the inner earth. Symone comforts herself with an imaginary friend named Captain ’Titus’ Oates, who was a real member of Captain Scott’s doomed South Pole Expedition in 1911. She finds comfort and guidance from ’Titus’ as she is unknowingly being dragged into her uncle’s deranged plan. Uncle Victor lets no one get in his way, killing unsuspecting adventurers, even leaving a partner out on the frozen continent to die from exposure. Sym’s Uncle Victor finds what he believes is Symme’s Hole and dives to his death. Sym and another young boy are soon rescued. After being saved, her rescuers flirt with her, giving her a huge boost of self-confidence.
This story is told from the viewpoint of Symone. I was quickly annoyed with her inability to pick up the blatant clues that her uncle was a psycho. I remembered, however, that she was only 14, and probably did not have the mental maturity to understand what was really going on in the beginning. The story moves a little slow in parts, weighing it down with unnecessary minor character developments. Symone is no average 14 year old; she somehow manages to drive a sub-arctic machine around the tundra and survives even though she is walking around in a climate that is unforgiving. Even after Symone found out that Uncle Victor was responsible for her father’s death and her own hearing loss, she doesn’t ever seem to really explode with rage. Symone does mature a lot throughout the story and eventually gains some inner confidence. Geraldine McCaughrean wisely gives a brief overview of the doomed 1911 South Pole Expedition in the back of the book. I wisely read it first which helped understand some of the terminology that was used throughout the book.
4Q – 4P
Recommended ages are 14 – 16.
The cover art is almost ethereal. The girl looks like she could be the Ice Queen. Teen girls would find this cover appealing because of the mysterious look in the girl’s eyes.
