Review: Engrossing and Fast-Paced Historical Adventure
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 27, 2013
"Alfred Wellers" is the second novel in Jerry Beller's American Myth series, following the adventures and coming age of a young Dutch boy named Alfred Wellers. Alfred's father is very influential in Amsterdam in the early 1600s and is instrumental in sending the ship Half Moon on its voyage to find an entrance to the Pacific Ocean; however, he's not aware that his young son plans to sneak aboard the ship.Alfred, though only twelve, is passionately called to the voyage and stows away till its too late for the sailors to throw him overboard; then he begins the adventure of a lifetime, witnessing not only horrific storms but also the horrible side of human nature in some of his crewmates.Alfred himself is a very likeable character, capable and good, and as he grows into a man he stays true to himself. The book has plenty of action and brings to life the era; though my favorite parts are when Alfred joins an Indian tribe in the New World, the parts on the ship are also fast-paced and interesting.  Recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction and adventure stories, especially those with a great deal of historical detail and brave young protagonists.