Hurricane: Open Seas, 1844 (Survival)
Gr 5-7-An absorbing piece of historical fiction. The story is set on a petticoat whaler (a ship on which the captain brings his wife and family) in 1844, and readers will quickly be caught up in the rugged onboard life. The story follows Rebecca Whittier, the captain's daughter, and John Lowe, a boy indentured to Captain Whittier. More than halfway through the book, a storm hits and it's a corker. The captain tries valiantly to keep his ship afloat but at last has to concede to the power of nature. Fate contrives to have John and Rebecca stuck high in the rigging when the captain calls to abandon ship, and the youngsters not only weather the end of the hurricane but save the ship's cargo as well. And all the dories bearing the crew return for a happy ending. The sailors' fear as they pursue the leviathan in small boats is not glossed over. Neither is the death of the animal, which is realistic without being too gory. The preparation of the whale's carcass is clearly described, right down to the stink of the try-pots. The whale sighting, chase, and kill are deftly handled, but the storm seems anticlimactic after all of the time spent on the whaling adventure. Still, this is a rip-roaring page-turner that readers will enjoy.-Randi Hacker, Montgomery Elementary School, VTCopyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.