Rated 5 stars ***** ebook. 2019. Best Day Books for Young Readers. I escaped #3. Includes period photographs, “Survivor quotes,” “Did you know?,” “Shark facts & study guide,” and “How a 12-year-old cleared the captain’s name.”
Sixteen-year-old Josh had joined the Navy for revenge against the Japanese after his father was killed in the Pearl Harbor attacks. He never expected the USS Indianapolis, a Navy warship with over 1100 men, to be torpedoed and that it would sink with over 300 men on board. It left him, and almost 900 other sailors, struggling to survive at sea while brazen sharks attacked them relentlessly.
Before reading this, I had never heard of the torpedoing and subsequent sinking of the USS Indianapolis by a Japanese submarine in the Philippine Sea on July 30, 1945. The story of the brave survivors (now down to 316) who endured 5 days of shark attacks, hunger, thirst, injuries and hopelessness is told in this well written book. Interspersed with Josh’s story are period photographs, which lend authenticity to an already authentic story.
I couldn’t pull myself away, and read this in one sitting, as the fast paced chapters kept me eagerly turning pages to learn the fate of these brave men. Reluctant readers will find the same eagerness to keep reading.
Highly recommended for ages 15 and older.
An electronic copy of the book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
You Decide: Should I Read it or Not? 