Attack of the Turtle
At the story's opening in 1776, 14-year-old Nate fears two things: a swaggering local bully and (despite being a fisherman's son) water. When David Bushnell asks his help in building a secret weapon for the Continental army, Nate readily agrees, although he dreads crossing the Connecticut River to their hidden workshop each night. They finally journey to New York to deliver Bushnell's invention, theTurtle--a submarine designed to attach bombs to ships' hulls. There Nate tests his mettle under fire and even underwater. Sensitive, fine line drawings appear at chapter headings. As Carlson discusses in the appended author's note, the novel is based on actual events: although Nate's story is fictionalized,  Bushnell did invent and construct theTurtle, the first submarine to be used in warfare. Though Nate makes for a sympathetic character and the plot is well constructed, the actual tale of theTurtleis quite involving, too. Readers intrigued by the history may also enjoy Arthur Lefkowitz'sBushnell's Submarine(2006) and Sally M. Walker'sSecrets of a Civil War Submarine(2005).Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.