Module 5--Fantasy and Science Fiction

Surviving Antartica Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White explores the future of our society, education and entertainment. Five teenagers are chosen to explore Antarctica in order to re-enact the 1910 journey to the South Pole by Robert Scott. These teenagers soon realize in order to survive; they must rely on themselves and work together as a team. They feel all alone in the frozen tundra, but secretly a Department of Edutainment employee is working to ensure their safety.

I loved this book. I bonded with the characters and rooted them on every step of the way. I thought it was insightful and a little scary. Reality TV is becoming a mainstay of the American television market. This book, in a clever way, explores the problematic question of how “real” reality tv needs to be. Combined with the fact that television was required viewing because it was education adds to the problem.

Review: Brisk action, interesting characters, and intriguing (sometimes gruesome) details make this a compelling story, while television's pervasive presence in our lives and the undeniable popularity of the “reality” format give a rather frightening timeliness and believability to the tale.–Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library --Mara Alpert (Reviewed July 1, 2005) (School Library Journal, vol 51, issue 7, p110)

This young adult novel can be paired with non-fiction texts about Robert F. Scott, his crew, and his expedition to the South Pole from 1910-1913.