Quest

When seventeen-year-old John Hudson sets sail aboard the Discovery with his father, Henry Hudson, he is eager to explore the open seas and the New World. He is not, however, anxious to leave behind his girlfriend, Isabella Digges, a nobleman's daughter. But Isabella has adventures of her own in store as an undercover spy for the king. And while Richard Hudson simply wants his older brother, John, to come home to London, John's shipmate Seth Syms is desperate to avoid returning to the city any time soon.

The key to their futures lies in the hands of John's father. But as Henry Hudson's obsession to find the Northwest Passage to Asia grows, so does the unrest of those around him — both at sea and at home. Letters, diary entries, and personal narratives spill mutinous and surprising secrets, while revealing a struggle of hope, heartbreak, and survival.

Through the use of four alternating viewpoints, Kathleen Benner Duble brings historical and fictional personalities to life, showing the widespread waves of one real-life and unpredictable voyage.

Children's Literature

When Henry Hudson left England to search for a Northwest Passage to Asia, his son John eagerly went with him. John's only regret is leaving his love Isabella behind, even though his low social station made them an unlikely match. John's brother Richard wants John to come home, while John's shipmate Seth Syms will do anything to keep from returning to England. Isabella, in the meantime, is forced to spy on her father, sneaking into a map room and memorizing the routes and discoveries of the Dutch East Indies Company. The book alternates between John's, Richard's, Isabella's, and Seth's points of view. While it is somewhat jarring that only Richard's story is not told in his own voice, the alternating viewpoints work well to create a multi-faceted view of Henry Hudson and his world. Duble takes known facts and blends in her own vision of what might have happened, as well as creating the intriguing character of Isabella the spy (who easily could have carried her own book). Duble expertly uses fact and fancy to create a truly intriguing work of historical fiction. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck

Kathleen Benner Duble is the author of two other books for children, Bridging Beyond and Pilot Mom. She was inspired to write The Sacrifice when she began researching her own family history and discovered she was living on the same land that her ancestors had lived on hundreds of years earlier. The Sacrifice is based on their lives. Today Ms. Duble lives with her husband and two children in Boxford, Massachusetts. For more information visit her Web site at www.kathleenduble.com