Aronson marks the one-year anniversary of the collapse of a Chilean copper mine that entombed miners for more than two months with a riveting, in-depth recounting of the events that held the world rapt… Twelve short chapters with photos and diagrams keep the story well-paced as it alternates between above- and below-ground scenes, detailing the heroic efforts of the trapped men, their waiting families, and their rescuers, sometimes on an hour-by-hour basis. Extensive author and source notes, a bibliography, and suggested reading leave plenty for readers to explore.”
—Publishers Weekly, June 13, 2011, *STAR
“Leave it to Aronson…. Photographs, maps, diagrams and a wild range of literary references, from Merlin to Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Hephaistos, enliven the volume. The author uses these familiar touch points to help tell a complicated story, blending them with such highly technical information as mining machinery to keep his narrative flowing.”
—Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2011
“Masterful storytelling brings to life a story that most think they already know; the 33 miners trapped in a Chilean copper mine for 69 days in 2010…. It was a gripping story then, and Aronson manages to make it even more exciting, more inspirational, and more personal, all by gathering pieces of the puzzle and showing how they fit together. Explanations of how the Earth’s formation and plate tectonics created the copper lines that are so valuable to the world today are a critical beginning. Filling them in with a brief history of metalworking and mining leads readers to the small, out-of-the-way mine in the Atacama Desert region. From there the story becomes as intriguing and suspenseful as any work of fiction; the miners’ struggle to survive below ground is juxtaposed with the frenzy of the work aboveground by the mine officials, the government, and many others working to save the men. Detailed descriptions of the conditions that the miners endured and how they coped paint a vivid picture of just what an ordeal it was. The global response to the disaster was enormous, with organizations, governments, and individuals from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Japan offering resources and expertise to find a solution. Ample source notes, black-and-white photographs, websites, and a brief explanation of research methodology round out this must-have for any library.”
—School Library Journal, August 2011, *STAR
“Much more than just a chronicle of the Chilean mining disaster of 2010, Aronson’s well-researched and riveting book gives readers the sense that they’re in the San José copper mine…Peppered with engaging quotes, the text is fluid and attention-grabbing.”
—The Horn Book Magazine, August 1, 2011, *STAR
“Aronson zips readers through a whirlwind primer….The succinct text is enhanced by a strong selection of photographs, illustrations, and diagrams, all of which help make the abstract technical issues clear. The remainder of the book is structured in a riveting day-by-day, “above-and-below” account of the rescuers’ struggle to locate survivors and bring them to the surface. Well-chosen quotes and interviews humanize the headlines, and Aronson’s dramatic writing achieves a sense of taut suspense that will captivate young readers. The extensive back matter includes biographical sketches of the miners, as well as a glossary, time line, bibliography, and list of suggested websites. Teachers will welcome this excellent title for classroom discussion, which closes with Aronson’s “How I Wrote This Book,” detailing his research methods.”
—Booklist, September 2011, *STAR
“Nonfiction the way it is meant to be—riveting, educational, and entertaining! Aronson not only does a fine job of chronicling both the physical and mental ordeals the Chilean miners faced, but explains how the problem occurred, provides historical background, and details the various participants in the rescue attempts…fascinating reading!.... Give this to students who don’t think they like nonfiction. Those that love history, geology, survival stories, scientific exploration, or even mythology will definitely enjoy it.”
—Library Media Connection, November/December 2011
“Aronson delivers a captivating account of the mine collapse…[and] crafts vivid portraits of the miners’ experiences underground, as well as those of the families and countrymen breathlessly awaiting their safe return.”
—Publishers Weekly, November 7, 2011, a "Best Books of 2011" selection
In a book about Chile's famously trapped miners, you expect a certain depth of research. But it's Marc Aronson's wide, expansive view that is so refreshing. From geology and engineering to economics, mythology and religion, Aronson provides young readers with insights and analogies that can be applied far beyond what happened last year in an under-supervised Chilean mine.
—The Washington Post
Aronson marks the one-year anniversary of the collapse of a Chilean copper mine that entombed miners for more than two months with a riveting, in-depth recounting of the events that held the world rapt. His fluid narrative begins with a brief eyewitness account of the cave-in before contextualizing the disaster. Initial chapters cover mine layout and terminology, as well as prehistoric geology (and how it helped form Chile's Atacama Desert) and the mythology of the blacksmith god, Hephaistos, who "creates the tool the hero needs, and yet he is lame, ugly, a figure of fun." Aronson (Sugar Changed the World) smartly links this ancient pejorative attitude to contemporary ones toward mining despite reliance on its products, drawing on cultural connections between the underground world and hell, Hades, etc. Twelve short chapters with photos and diagrams keep the story well-paced as it alternates between above- and below-ground scenes, detailing the heroic efforts of the trapped men, their waiting families, and their rescuers, sometimes on an hour-by-hour basis. Extensive author and source notes, a bibliography, and suggested reading leave plenty for readers to explore. Ages 8–12. (Aug.)
Gr 7 Up—Masterful storytelling brings to life a story that most think they already know; the 33 miners trapped in a Chilean copper mine for 69 days in 2010. It was headline news for two months, with people glued to their televisions watching those final, dramatic rescues. It was a gripping story then, and Aronson manages to make it even more exciting, more inspirational, and more personal, all by gathering pieces of the puzzle and showing how they fit together. Explanations of how the Earth's formation and plate tectonics created the copper lines that are so valuable to the world today are a critical beginning. Filling them in with a brief history of metalworking and mining leads readers to the small, out-of-the-way mine in the Atacama Desert region. From there the story becomes as intriguing and suspenseful as any work of fiction; the miners' struggle to survive below ground is juxtaposed with the frenzy of the work aboveground by the mine officials, the government, and many others working to save the men. Detailed descriptions of the conditions that the miners endured and how they coped paint a vivid picture of just what an ordeal it was. The global response to the disaster was enormous, with organizations, governments, and individuals from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Japan offering resources and expertise to find a solution. Ample source notes, black-and-white and color photographs, websites, and a brief explanation of research methodology round out this must-have for any library.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA
