Bergreen, Laurence  Magellan: Over the Edge of the World
Middle school, high school    211 pp.    Roaring Brook

This adaptation of the author's adult book chronicles Ferdinand Magellan's historic, globe-circumnavigating search for the Spice Islands. The conflict between Portugal and Spain and suspicion of Magellan's loyalty to the Spanish crown are skillfully related, as are accounts of storms, mutinies, deprivation, illness, hostile interactions with Native populations, and Magellan's murder. Readers will be intrigued and informed by this meticulously researched, spellbinding adventure. Bib., ind.
Subjects: History; Geography and Exploration; Biographies; Magellan, Ferdinand; Portugal; Spain

Bishop, Gavin  Cook’s Cook: The Cook Who Cooked for Captain Cook
Gr. K–3, 4–6    32 pp.    Gecko

Bishop packs a lot of historical detail into this (fictionalized) diary account of life aboard explorer Captain James Cook's ship Endeavor, from the perspective of the ship's cook Thomas Richmond ("likely...a freed slave from Jamaica"). The acrylic and ink drawings, in muted greens, blues, and off-whites, contain speech bubbles; sidebars provide supplementary information and very basic recipes. It's somewhat hard to follow but engaging.
Subjects: History; Geography and Exploration; Australia; Cook, James; Cookery; Diaries; Food; Sailors; Sea stories; South Pacific; Voyages and travels; Vehicles—Ships

Litton, Jonathan  Journeys: Tales of Travel and Trailblazers
Gr. 4–6    96 pp.    Tiger Tales/360

Illustrated by Chris Chalik, Dave Shephard, Jon Davis, and Leo Hartas. This impressive book looks at a history of journeys around the world. Litton includes those over water, land, ice, and snow, and via machines such as motorcycles, motor vehicles, airplanes, and spacecraft. Brief but informative sections on a diverse selection of explorers and travelers are accompanied by evocative monochromatic sketches of people and places, bringing the fascinating journeys to life.
Subjects: History; Geography and Exploration; History, World; Voyages and travels

Lourie, Peter  Locked in Ice: Nansen’s Daring Quest for the North Pole
Gr. 4–6, middle school, high school    316 pp.    Holt/Ottaviano

In 1893, Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian Renaissance man and Nobel Peace Prize winner, tried (unsuccessfully) to become the first person to reach the North Pole. The harrowing Arctic journey — documented here through black-and-white photographs, line drawings, and journal entries — became legendary. Lourie provides an intriguing portrait of the man and a worthwhile and absorbing account of his journey. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind.
Subjects: History; Geography and Exploration; Arctic regions; Nansen, Fridtjof;  Nobel Prize; North Pole; Norway; Survival; Voyages and travels; Vehicles—Ships

Mortensen, Laurie  Away with Words: The Daring Story of Isabella Bird
Gr. K–3    40 pp.    Peachtree

Illustrated by Kristy Caldwell. Isabella Bird (1831–1904) overcame childhood maladies and, perhaps equally hard to surmount, rigid social expectations of female behavior to become a world traveler, explorer, and best-selling author; snippets of Bird's writing appear in this ebullient treatment of a life well spent. Illustrator Caldwell incorporates occasional dialogue balloons and comics-style panels into the digital illustrations, staving off any accusation of Victorian creakiness. Timeline. Bib.
Subjects: Biographies; Individual Biographies; Adventure and adventurers; Authors; Bird, Isabella L.; Exploration and explorers; Gender roles; Great Britain; Victorian England; Voyages and travels; Writing; Women—Authors; Women—Biographies; Women—Explorers

From the September 2019 issue of Nonfiction Notes from the Horn Book.