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Summary
Summary
Imagine going to school on a boat! The rip-roaring excitement continues in the second volume of this adventure-mystery series set on the high seas, from the author of the beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency!
Ben and Fee MacTavish and their schoolmates on board the School Ship Tobermory are headed thousands of miles from their base in Mull to a small island in the Caribbean. They will learn extraordinary details about Captain Macbeth's past and come face to face with modern-day pirates. The students and crew aboard the Tobermory will have to band together and use their wits to escape harm and overcome the evil pirates.
Author Notes
Alexander McCall Smith was born on August 24, 1948 in Zimbabwe. He was a professor of medical law at the University of Edinburgh, but he left in 2005 to focus on his writing. He has written over 60 books, including specialist academic titles including Forensic Aspects of Sleep and The Criminal Law of Botswana, short story collections including Portuguese Irregular Verbs, and children's books including The Perfect Hamburger. He is best known for the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. He also writes the Corduroy Mansions, Isabel Dalhousie and 44 Scotland Street series.
He has received numerous awards, including The Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library Award and the 2004 United Kingdom's Author of the Year Award. His book, The Full Cupboard of Life, received the Saga Award for Wit in the United Kingdom. In 2007, he received a CBE for his services in literature.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-School-age readers who dream of attending classes full-time on a boat that sails around the world will appreciate the second book in this series by the author of the popular adult mystery titles "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." In this sequel, the brother/sister duo Ben and Fee lead their schoolmates on yet another adventure, this time to the Caribbean. The book begins by reintroducing all the main characters from the first entry (making it easy for readers to jump into the series) and explaining all the details of the ship and its crew. The first adventure takes place on land during the schoolmates' two-week vacation when they rescue Tanya from being retaken from her cruel aunt and uncle (a story from the first book). Then they set sail for the Caribbean Islands. Each day is filled with regular school lessons in the morning and afternoon sessions on seafaring. It's almost perfect except for clashes with William Edward Hardtack and his gang, who always seem to get away with bullying and cheating. When the Tobermory docks in Green Bay Island, a new mate, Mike, comes aboard, and the crew are led into more dangerous journeys. Readers will love the fast-paced tale and fascinating locations. As an added bonus, instructional details of seafaring are woven seamlessly into the plot. Graphic-style illustrations by McIntosh supplement the text. VERDICT New readers and students familiar with the first volume will enjoy this sequel and be eager for the next installment.-Anne Jung-Mathews, Plymouth State University, NH © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
The sequel to School Ship Tobermory follows the diverse international boarding-school ship as it sails from Scotland to the Caribbean. The children befriend and help a local boy and all work together to thwart modern-day pirates. Bullies and bad guys exist at sea and on land in the rollicking sailing adventure reminiscent of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The second School Ship Tobermory installment finds the MacTavish twins cementing friendships and solving mysteries in the Caribbean.The book opens at the beginning of a school holiday for the diverse student body of the School Ship Tobermorya sailing ship based in Scotland that is also a boarding school. Twelve-year-old white twins Fee and Ben MacTavish are preparing to spend their holiday at home with their marine-scientist parents when they realize that three of their friends live too far away to go home. In their warmhearted fashion, the twins invite the three to their home. A dangling storyline that will no doubt be picked up in a further installment ensues. Back onboard Tobermory post-holiday, the students and their teachers set sail for the Caribbean. In Antigua, they meet Mike, a black, 13-year-old islander who has had to give up his education to help support his family after his fisherman father mysteriously disappeared two years previously. A cozy mystery instilled with wholesome values, intelligence, and action follows. While Ben and Fee figure prominently, McCall Smith, in his assured third-person narration (with the occasional second-person popping up) branches out and lets other characters drive the plot. McIntosh's black-and-white illustrations follow the same format as the first book and are just as effective. A comfortable, wise tale that is more than anything a story of friendship. (backmatter) (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Twins Ben and Fee MacTavish continue their adventures on the school ship Tobermory, along with their friends Badger, Thomas, Poppy, Tanya, and Angela, while avoiding troublemakers William, Geoffrey, and Maximilian. When the friends return to the Tobermory after the holidays, they sail to the Caribbean, where they meet a young boy named Mike who saves Badger's life. In return Badger helps Mike enroll in school on their ship. When Mike is unjustly accused of theft, however, he leaves the Tobermory to join the crew of Bert Thorn's ship, which was headed to Shark Island. When the friends learn Thorn might be a pirate, they set out to help bring Mike back home. Told in a steady, calm pace but with plenty of action and adventure, this is sure to be a hit with fans of sea stories, not to mention those who loved the first book in the series. Accompanying illustrations of the characters and some of the events further add to the detailed world of the story. A fun, enjoyable read.--Paz, Selenia Copyright 2017 Booklist
