193. Shipwrecked!

Shipwrecked! Diving for Hidden Time Capsules on the Ocean Floor. Martin W. Sandler. 2023. [October 31] 138 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Nonfiction]

First sentence: Almost everything made by humans, at one time or another, has been carried over the oceans. And it's not only people and goods that depended upon the sea for transportation. Ideas, cultures, religions, technologies, and the arts historically spread by seas. 

Premise/plot: Shipwrecked is middle grade nonfiction. Sandler introduces readers to seven shipwrecks, or, excavations of shipwrecks. The book focuses on how shipwrecks are discovered, recovered, salvaged, etc. What can we learn about the past by examining/exploring shipwrecks? How has the art or science of exploration/excavation changed over the past hundred years?

The shipwrecks discussed in this one include: Antikythera, Cape Gelidonya, Shinan, The Mary Rose, Sao Jose Paquete de Africa, The Hunley, The Erebus and The Terror. The book also includes a final chapter--or appendix--where other shipwrecks are featured. These "bonus" or "extra" shipwrecks get a few paragraphs each. 

My thoughts: I found this fascinating. I wasn't expecting to find it fascinating. This subject or sub-sub-genre isn't my usual "cup of tea." Yet I found myself absorbed in these stories. Mostly I found myself interested in the history of it all. 

Definitely recommended for those that enjoy nonfiction.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews