Sym Wates is obsessed with everything Antarctic — especially the doomed explorer Titus Oates, who died in a 1911 expedition to the South Pole. She is thrilled when her uncle Victor arranges to take her to Antarctica, but her delight doesn't last; it turns out that Uncle Victor has a strange ulterior motive for the trip and that some of Sym's fellow travelers aren't who they claim to be — especially Uncle Victor. The White Darkness weaves history, family drama and adventure into a thrilling tale. 373 pages