IN HARM'S WAY (YOUNG READERS EDITION)

A nail-biting account of World War II heroism and survival.

In the summer of 1945, veteran Navy captain Charles McVay undertook a secret mission on the USS Indianapolis. With more than 1,000 inexperienced sailors aboard, the cruiser headed for the island of Tinian, near Guam, delivering parts of the atomic bomb destined to end the war. But with no sonar, the ship’s ability to elude attacks was compromised, and a Japanese submarine torpedoed the Indy, triggering a deadly fire. The men were forced to abandon ship, and most found themselves in one of two groups—one led by clergyman Father Conway and physician Dr. Haynes, the other by Ensign Harlan Twible and Chief Engineer Richard Redmayne. McVay was in a separate small group with eight other crew members. There was a scramble for rafts and danger from shark attacks; the men battled hunger, thirst, exposure to the tropical sun, and extreme cold at night. Many perished. Stanton and Tougias keep the suspense high with short sections that cut from one embattled group to another. Rescue eventually came but not without glitches, and McVay faced a different fight for survival back home—court-martialed and later dying by suicide. This is a riveting, well-researched young readers’ adaptation of Stanton’s 2001 original.

Authentic detail and a brisk pace make this real-life adventure a page-turner.