Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083

In the year 2083, school past the age of 14 is based on a toss of the dice - or being rich enough to afford it, of course. For those unlucky enough to lose their Toss, life seems bleak indeed - until an episode of Historical Survivor (part of teleschool) offers 5 kids a chance at a scholarship if they reenact Robert Scott's doomed 1912 expedition to the South Pole. But Historical Survivor is very dangerous - and if 5 grown men couldn't escape death, what chance do 5 misfit teenagers have?

This story really gripped me - the five kids each have clearly drawn individual personalities, and they all grew on me. It was great to watch the kids struggle with the elements, unruly animals and each other rather than having one of those show more insta-bonding experiences. Instead their combined experiences slowly forms a real and believable bond. I grew to care about all of the characters, and I really enjoyed the scenes set in the studio as well. The message at the end was both heartening and fitting. White really pulled it off with Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083.

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After a bit of a slow start my attention was totally captivated by Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083. This YA novel is author Andrea Whites’ futuristic look at America, and her vision isn’t pretty. A group of 14 year olds are sent to Antarctica to re-enact the Scott Polar Expedition for a television reality show. In 2083, television has become the governments’ tool to control the population. In order to obtain high ratings, the Secretary of Education, manipulates the show to ensure that the teens experience life-threatening situations, and if a teen should happen to die, well, so much the better for the ratings.

The five teens volunteered for the show hoping to win money for their future education or lifestyle. They are unaware show more of the dangerous situation they are entering, their thinking is that as they are children, there will be adults around to help them. They do not understand that the cameras have been implanted in their bodies and they are totally on their own.

I found the ending a little rushed, as if the author didn’t know exactly how to resolve each character’s story and just went for a quick close. So, a slow start, a rushed ending and lots of adventure in-between. I would certainly investigate any other books this author has written as I thought this one, even with it’s flaws, had plenty to offer. show less

This book was written by an educator who shares with us a frightening future, where the US Dept of Entertainment controls education and society, ensuring that most of us are too busy watching tv to get out of the house and vote. Education beyond grade school is available only to the privileged, or via lottery overseen by the "Fair Play" act. If you don't win the scholarship your chances of a decent future are slim - so the $100,000 dollar prize offered in the History Survival Reality TV series (which serves as every citizen's history education)is looks pretty good. You might not live through the re-enactment of Scott's trek to the Antarctic, but, hey, what's to live for anyway?

When I read this book for the first time, I was probably twelve or thirteen. I thought it was a refreshing read--pure adventure. No sappy romance; no vulgar language. Just pure fun. A light sci-fi/historical fiction blend that was at once both entertaining and educational. Prose that was quick and catchy; descriptions that I can still taste... it was a book that I *remembered*, and let me tell you, I read hundreds of books when I was young.

Even after all of these years (I'm getting ready to graduate high school), the rich lives and distinct personalities of the five main characters of Surviving Antarctica haunted my mind. It was like an itch in the back of my mind. Always nagging me... always urging me to find it. To read it again. In show more fact, I wanted to pass it on to my younger sisters--both old enough now to understand and appreciate such a story.

I finally remembered the title and bought this book a few weeks ago from Amazon. Let me tell you that you will not be disappointed with the read, and neither will your children or younger siblings. It truly is a family book. show less

Wow!! What a thrilling story - picked this up this morning and have spent the day reading it - could not put it down!

This is set in the future where the US government has virtually stamped out crime by encouraging the public to watch nonstop reality television to provide distraction from the rampant poverty. Crimes are judged on 'Crime TV' and the punishments are handed out by the public - and crucifixion is not uncommon!!! Also, higher education is won or lost on a dice toss if you cannot afford to send a child to school. Historical Survivor is the most popular program on the TV. In order to win money to further their education or set themselves up, teenagers Andrew, Polly, Robert, Billy, and Grace have been chosen from a pool of show more thousands to reenact Robert F. Scott's fatal 1910-13 expedition to the South Pole in Antarctica Historical Survivor.

The evil Secretary of Entertainment, worried about falling ratings, has no compunction to allow the children to die - and the 5 kids are sent off to Antarctica with no idea that the producer is not going to play fair. Not all is lost - the kids are not stupid and back in the television studio "the night shift" are secretly helping the kids and trying to figure out a way to stop the madness.

the scariest thing about this book is that it seems so real - with the explosion of reality TV it seems that producers are going to greater lengths to push the limit for ratings. How long before the first realty TV death - and how long will it be before people don't care because they can't sort out the reality from make believe. show less

This book went from 5 stars to 3 stars in the last 30 pages. The ending came out of nowhere, leaving many plot opportunities buried in the snow. Just when things are starting to look grim, the show ends abruptly when the audience protests. The kids are rescued, but two of them decide to stay behind and finish the journey to the pole. Sorry, but that just isn't believable, if we are to believe how difficult it is to survive there. Although the plot easily carried most of the book, there were problems in character development that affects the believability of the story. One problem lies in the resourcefulness of the characters. As the kids of the future are described, learning everything from TV, they would not have the skills necessary show more to survive in Antarctica as well as they did. Another credibility issue lies with the interactions of the kids with one another. They are just too nice. And they seem to know that they are being filmed for TV, but no one has figured out how that can be possible with no camera crew. For the most part, I found this to be an enjoyable read, but it could have been much better. The idea is terrific, but really if you want a book that is better written, read The Hunger Games. show less

A very gripping book. While I think the beginning is slow, and the end feels a bit rushed, most of this book is a tense, thrilling adventure story. It has some very likeable characters as well. I would recommend to anyone wanting a good survival story.