Lost in the Pacific, 1942

Olson, Tod. Lost in the Pacific, 1942. 2016. 168p. ISBN 978-0-545-92811-3. Available at 940.54 OLS on the library shelves.

On October 21st, 1942, the entire world is at war. In Russia German tanks are rolling deep in the Soviet Union, and most of Europe is occupied. In the Pacific, the Japanese fleet had suffered a crippling blow in the battle of Midway but still controlled a vast stretch of the Ocean, and the battle at Guadalcanal has just begun. Edward Rickenbacker was the most decorated American World War I pilot, and he had been recruited by the War Department to tour the Pacific, cheer the troops, then report back to Washington with measures to win the air war.

Rickenbacker arrives in Hawaii with his liaison, Colonel Adamson, and they board a B-17 bomber, transformed into a transport plane. Crewed by six people, the plane will fly them to Canton Island and refuel, then to Guadalcanal. But due either to a faulty compass or miscalculated headwinds, the plan missed the small island, and Captain Cherry had no choice but to attempt to land the plane in the Pacific waters when it ran out of fuel.

The eight passengers survived the landing, and manage to escape into three small inflatable boats before the plane sank, but they left their food and water provisions on board. Lost in the Pacific, with sharks circling, hungry and dehydrated, the crew began to endure what they hoped would be a short stint before they were located, but it took twenty two days before they were finally rescued.

A tale of courage and survival in the face of enormous odds, this story will captivate readers who enjoy a good adventure story pitting humans against nature. Fans of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet will enjoy reading the measures the crew took to stay alive.