Children - Fiction & Literature, Fiction Subjects

Secret Journey

Name: Secret Journey
Author: Peg Kehret
ISBN: 9781416991120

by Peg Kehret

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Overview

SWEPT AWAY...

Twelve-year-old Emma Bolton is determined to join her father and her sick mother on their voyage to France. She'll do anything to escape Aunt Martha and hateful cousin Odolf! So she disguises herself as a boy and sneaks aboard a vessel she's told is her parents' ship. Too late, Emma discovers that she's a stowaway on Black Lightning, the most notorious slave ship afloat! Her only hope is to hide in plain sight as "William," ship's boy for the cruel Captain Isaac Bacon?until a violent storm causes a shipwreck, leaving her marooned on the raging seas off the coast of Africa, with only her wits to keep her alive...

In 1834 when a storm at sea destroys the slave ship on which she is a stowaway, twelve-year-old Emma musters all her resourcefulness to survive in the African jungle.

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Emma Bolton is determined to join her father and her sick mother on their voyage to France. She'll do anything to escape Aunt Martha and hateful Cousin Odolf! So she disguises herself as a boy and sneaks aboard a vessel that she believes is her parents' ship. Too late, Emma discovers that she's a stowaway on Black Lightning, the most notorious slave ship afloat! Her only hope is to hide in plain sight as "William," ship's boy for the cruel Captain Isaac Bacon...until a storm causes a shipwreck, leaving her marooned on the raging seas off the coast of Africa, with only her wits to keep her alive...

VOYA

Twelveyear-old Emma Bolton is a sassy, headstrong only child living in 1834 England. When Emma's father announces a holiday in France for him and Emma's ailing mother, Emma learns that her fate is to stay indefinitely with her financially struggling Aunt Martha and her obnoxious, insensitive cousin, Odolf. Emma, however, has another plan; she will defy her father's wishes and board their Parisbound ship at any cost. What ensues is a pageturning thriller as the strongwilled Emma escapes from Aunt Martha and heads for the docks and her parents' ship. Emma mistakenly stows away on a slave ship headed for the African coast. In rich detail Kehret describes the horrific conditions aboard the ship and the bold, brave actions Emma must take to stay alive. When the ship sinks in a raging storm, Emma, clinging to a hatch cover, makes it to an island shore. In a rather fantastic jungle sequence, Emma holds fast to her hopes for rescue, resourcefully eats a meal of live termites, enjoys the hesitant camaraderie of chimpanzees, and cleverly constructs a makeshift shelter. Young female readers will be absorbed by the story of Emma's journey and the question of whether she will see her parents, especially her mother, ever again. Nature lovers will appreciate Kehret's careful research into the work of Jane Goodall and the rainforest ecosystem in writing Emma's experiences, detailed in an author's notes section at the end of the book. Considering all of the buzz surrounding Harry Potter's adventures, young Emma Bolton makes a stand of her own in this story of adventure and survival. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M J (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades6to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 1999, Pocket, Ages 12 to 15, 135p, $16. Reviewer: Beth Gilbert

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Editorials

VOYA

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-A story set in England in the 1830s. Faced with the prospect of being left with relatives whom she cannot stand while her father takes her ailing mother to France, almost 12-year-old Emma disguises herself as a boy and decides to stow away on her parents' ship. On her way to the docks, some ill-intentioned sailors direct her to a ship headed for Africa, and she sneaks aboard. Once discovered, she becomes the cabin boy. Unbelievably, none of the crew suspects that she is a girl. During a storm, the vessel goes down and only Emma survives. She is washed ashore, where she builds herself a lean-to and forages for food. After saving a baby chimpanzee, its mother then cares for her when she is stricken with malaria. Once she is well again, Emma forms the word "help" out of vines and hangs it from the trees and is finally rescued after four months in the jungle. On her return to England, she is surprised to learn that her mother and father have not been told of her disappearance and are expecting her to join them in France. Despite some implausibility, the story is adventurous and enjoyable. The hanging suspense at the end of each chapter encourages readers to continue, and the fast pace will appeal to reluctant readers.-Sarah Smith, Harrison Community Library, MI Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Midwest Book Review

Disguised as a boy, twelve-year old Emma stows away on a sailing ship. Emma is determined to reunite with her mother who is ill and traveling from London to France for rest and recovery. She soon discovers that she has boarded a slave ship heading for Africa and captained by an evil man. When a storm at sea destroys the shop and she is stranded on a distant African shore, Emma must use her courage and resourcefulness to survive. The Secret Journey is a thrilling, exceptionally well written adventure novel that will hold immense appeal for young readers ages 8 to 12.