The USS Indianapolis was about to set sail on a voyage that would change the lives of everyone involved. Sent out toward certain coordinates, they initially dropped the needed items for the building of the atomic bomb, and then headed toward their final destination. They would never arrive.
Several days after not reporting on time, the alarm still had not been raised. The sailors were beginning to lose hope that they would ever be rescued.
With an accidental finding, the story broke, and the Navy did their best to keep it as quiet as possible. It would take more than 50 years for the full truth to come out.

This story was one of determination and survival. I absolutely enjoyed this book! Great for kids who are interested in history.

The story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis is an important part of U.S. history. The authors present the facts of what happened in a way that’s easy for middle-grade children and teens to understand and learn. If you know the story of the USS Indianapolis, you know there are some dark and perilous parts that may require additional adult support if there are questions. This book would be a great addition to a middle or high school library.

In Harm’s Way is a wonderful historical fiction for young readers (middle school aged) that details the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. The story describes the sailor’s view of survival after the experienced a torpedo attack by the Japanese. This book is recommended for young readers interested in historical fiction. It reminded me of a more complex version of the “I survived” series that my son really enjoyed in elementary school. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

In Harm’s Way was an amazing book about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis at the end of World War II. While sailing in the middle of the Philippine Sea, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The resulting chaos killed many of the men on board and the rest were left to jump overboard in the middle of the night. Several groups of sailors ended up together in the ocean for days. With their life jackets failing and sharks attacking everyday, the men were giving up hope. Lots of mistakes caused the delay of the ships arrival to go unnoticed for several days. The men were forced to make decisions and survive conditions that some never recovered from.

This book was so interesting and heartbreaking at the same time. I had never read about the USS Indianapolis and this definitely made me want to find out more. This book will be a great addition for any middle school or high school library. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of In Harm’s Way (Young Readers Edition) by Michael J. Touglas and Doug Stanton. What a tragic story of the USS Indianapolis sailors losing their lives after Japan torpedoed and sank their ship. I loved the sailor stories of survival and marveled at their ability to overcome the obstacles. I like when authors create young reader editions of non-fiction books. Families can read the stories together or for those that want NF but not the detail of the adult versions, this is a wonderful option. Once the ship sank, I had to keep reading to find out who survived and the rescue operations. You could feel the sailors hope, despair, optimism and hopelessness as they waited for their Navy family to come rescue them. I’m glad the authors had notes at the end to talk about the African American sailors and Hispanic sailors. Those stories need to be shared more. Well worth the read for any history fan.