 | Escape From The USS Indianapolis (Escape From) Author: Marino, Andy | |
| Price: $7.37 | ||
Summary:
The end of World War II is finally in sight. The Nazis have been defeated in Europe, and Albie hopes that means he and his brother, Joe, can get back to normal life. Or as normal as life can be following the death of their parents. But the war against Imperial Japan still rages, and when Joe’s given a new assignment on the USS Indianapolis, Albie refuses to be left behind. Even if that means sneaking aboard and heading out to sea with the crew.
Reviews:
School Library Journal (+) (10/17/25)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 10/17/2025 Gr 3–7—When 12-year-old Albie Whitman's beloved brother Joe is assigned to the U.S. Navy ship Indianapolis, Albie stows away onboard the ship, refusing to be left behind. He is found out just before a huge explosion rocks the ship, and Joe urges Albie to quickly follow him to the radio room so that he can send a distress signal. He manages to send a partial signal, but the ship's worsening conditions make abandoning the Indianapolis a priority for survival. Escaping the burning wreck ends up with Albie and Joe in the middle of an oil-slicked sea that's filled with dead and dying sailors. By working together, the brothers manage to climb onto a floating piece of debris and eventually encounter other survivors. But the arrival of sharks rivals the lack of resources as a peril to survival. The action is nonstop in the fifth entry in Marino's "Escape From" series, with physical deprivation a central focus from the opening scene, when Albie is desperately looking for a water fountain onboard the ship, to the long days and nights on the open sea, with the need for drinking water rising hourly. The desperate irony of being surrounded by water and not being able to drink is not lost on the characters nor on the readers. Marino emphasizes how relationships, between the brothers and between shipmates, give Albie and the other sailors opportunities to either overcome unfathomable circumstances or succumb to their most basic instinctual urges. In flashbacks, Albie's story of parental loss is shared, as well as context for his unshakeable faith in Joe. Primary characters present as white, with a variety of ethnicities present in secondary characters. VERDICT For fans of the works of Alan Gratz and Nathan Hale, as well as Lauren Tarshis's "I Survived" series.—Susan Catlett - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
