The Angel's Command (Castaways of the Flying Dutchman)
Grade 5 Up--This is the second installment (Philomel, 2003) of Brian Jacques' series, The Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, about Ben and his faithful black Labrador companion, Ned, who have been saved by an angel from evil pirates and given the ability to communicate telepathically. The story works both as a sequel to first tale and a stand alone story. Ben helps a French buccaneer captain, Raphael Thuron, expose a cheating Spanish pirate, fleeing when the pirate realizes he has lost his gold. The first book ends with the Frenchman and crew dead, and Ben and Ned alone. In this sequel, it is 1628 and the pair rescues a gypsy girl and helps a young artist. The group meets a nobleman, and volunteers to travel to the mountains to rescue his long-lost nephew from an evil group practicing the black arts. A goatherd woman living in the mountains is drawn into the rescue. Jacques narrates with help from a full cast. There are songs scattered throughout, and chapter breaks are accompanied by music. Both parts blend when the pair meet Thuron's priest brother and find the sunken pirate gold. There is just enough description given to let imagination take over. Careful listening is required at times to understand both words and accents. Jacques emphasizes relationships between characters. The wordless communication between Ben and his irreverent companion is a highlight. With the popularity of pirate movies during this past summer, this audiobook will interest middle and high school students and would be a good choice for school and public libraries.--Susan Rice, Evergreen Local Schools, Metamora, OHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theAudio Cassetteedition.