Left for Dead

May 1, 2002
Left for Dead by Pete Nelson explains how the research of 11-year-old Hunter Scott who was inspired by a passing reference in the movie Jaws uncovered the truth behind a historic WWII naval disaster aboard the USS Indianapolis and led to the reversal of the wrongful court martial of the ship's captain. A full-color photographic inset and a preface by the now 17-year-old Scott round out the volume.

April 1, 2002
Gr 6-9-World War II aficionados will find this title both interesting and, at times, appalling. Nelson essentially relates two stories at the same time. One is of the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. Alternately, he tells of a junior high student's crusade to exonerate the wrongfully court-martialed captain of the ship. In the preface, Hunter Scott relates how, as an 11-year-old, his curiosity about the Indy was piqued by a shark story in the movie Jaws. While seeking more information about it, he learned of the gross errors and oversights that effectively doomed the ship by sending it directly into the path of a Japanese submarine. The U.S. Navy was not willing to admit that anyone except Captain McVay made any errors. The author describes the horrors the survivors endured as they waited for four and a half days to be rescued, which came about only because of an accidental sighting. The text also describes how the combined efforts of Scott, several of the survivors, national media attention, and several members of Congress posthumously exonerated McVay of any charges. The text is well written and well documented. Navy portraits and present-day photos of the survivors are included, as is a second section that shows the Indy, a map of the Pacific and the scene of the attack, and people who helped Scott. This excellent presentation fills a void in most World War II collections.-Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2002
Gr. 6-12. Two history lessons run concurrently through this exciting, life-affirming book about war heroics and justice. While watching the classic bragging scene in the movie " Jaws," 11-year-old Hunter Scott grew curious about one character's reference to the U.S.S. " Indianapolis." Discovering that history usually glossed over or omitted the story, Scott began a six-year crusade, gathering information from the survivors and, eventually, ensuring that their mission and their unjustly maligned captain were appropriately honored. Narrative combines with interviews between Scott and the soldiers to give individualized synopses of the 1945 sinking and rescue, ensuing court-martial, crusade, and exoneration. Two insets of black-and-white photos add a personal touch by showing the soldiers then and now, and also Scott, ages 11 to 17. Even if the main text doesn't interest readers, they can't help but be awed by Scott's preface, which proves without question the impact one student can have on history. Bibliography.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2002
The "Indianapolis" was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1945, leaving 880 seamen adrift, where they faced exhaustion, dehydration, and shark attacks. Decades later, middle-schooler Hunter Scott joined survivors in trying to clear the name of the ships captain who was court-martialed. Readers will be inspired by the youths tenacity--and by the valor of those who served on the "Indy." Bib.

(Copyright 2002 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)