From 1908 until 1954, Donald Baxter MacMillan spent nearly 50 years exploring the Arctic—longer than anyone else. Growing up near the ocean, and orphaned by 12, MacMillan forged an adventurous life. Mary Morton Cowan focuses on the vital role MacMillan played in Robert Peary's 1908-09 North Pole Expedition, as well as his relationships with explorers Peary, Matthew Henson, and Richard Byrd. She follows his long and distinguished career, including daring adventures, contributions to environmental science and to the cultural understanding of eastern Arctic natives. Working closely with the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College, Cowan showcases many MacMillan documents and archival photographs, many MacMillan's own in this winner of the John Burroughs Nature Books for Young Readers Award. Grade 5-9 This biography, written with obvious respect and admiration, covers the life and achievements of the Arctic explorer. MacMillan grew up reading about Arctic adventures and longed for the seafaring life, even after his father was lost at sea in 1883. After graduating from Bowdoin College with a degree in geology, he joined Robert Peary's 1908 expedition to the North Pole. This was followed by other scientific explorations into the Arctic's vast unknown regions, some by airplane, where Captain Mac filmed and photographed wildlife and icebergs that he would later incorporate into his popular lecture tours. Chapters open with a black-and-white photo that acts as a backdrop for Mac's next adventure. Archival photos with explanatory captions appear on nearly every page. The author skillfully weaves primary-source quotes with short, action-oriented sentences (e.g., Mac was lucky to escape alive!). The grimmer aspects of Arctic life (drownings, amputations, and eating the weakest dogs) are mentioned but not addressed in detail. This engaging biography is also a solid overview of an era of exploration that still captivates adventurous youths. It will find an audience among readers who enjoyed Katherine Kirkpatrick's The Snow Baby (Holiday House) or adventure novels such as Roland Smith's Peak (Harcourt, both 2007). Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Based largely on interviews and primary sources, this profile authoritatively retraces the career of a dedicated Arctic explorer. MacMillan's career opened with a high spot, accompanying Robert Peary on the renowned polar expedition of 1908–09, and continued with regular scientific and exploratory voyages, overland journeys, and flights until 1957. “Captain Mac” left a huge archive of museum specimens, films, and photos—selections drawn from the latter appear on nearly every spread here. Later in life he also traded on his celebrity status not only to establish schools and health facilities for indigenous peoples, but also to champion both Peary's claim to have reached the pole and Matthew Henson's right to share the honors. Though Cowan occasionally overwrites (“The rhythmic ebb and flow of tides was as much a part of him as the rhythm of night following day.”) and readers may find that Macmillan's expeditions blend together after the first dozen or so, the severe hardships and wild beauties of the Arctic come through as strongly as her case for the significance of his achievements. Extensive back matter concludes. Grades 6-9. --John Peters "This engaging biography is also a solid overview of an era of exploration that still captivates adventurous youths. It will find an audience among readers who enjoyed Katherine Kirkpatrick's The Snow Baby (Holiday House) or adventure novels such as Roland Smith's Peak (Harcourt, both 2007)." --School Library Journal "A good read for reluctant male readers." --Library Media Connection "The severe hardships and wild beauties of the Arctic come through as strongly as [Cowan's] case for the significance of [MacMillan's] achievements. Extensive back matter concludes." --Booklist Mary Morton Cowan is the author of Timberrr ... A History of Logging in New England, winner of Maine Library Association's Lupine Honor Award, and Ice Country, an historical novel based on Donald MacMillan's Arctic adventures. She lives near Sebago Lake in Maine.