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Summary
Summary
Adventure on the high seas!
WHAM! The Pliny jolts as if Black Beard himself has just punched her in the belly. Pedro and I slide and smack-- bang --into the bulwark.
"We're grounded," cries the first mate. "We've hit a shoal!"
In May of 1882, a large steamship ran aground off the coast of New Jersey. Elisa Carbone imagines what it was like for two boys on that ship: waking up in the middle of the night, waves crashing over the side, the storm too big to lower the lifeboats. And then the flashing of light from shore--the surfmen, true "heroes of the surf," come to rescue them. The award-winning author's meticulous research combined with Nancy Carpenter's spectacular illustrations make this thrilling adventure on the high seas one not to be missed!
Author Notes
Elisa Carbone lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Hendricks, West Virginia.
Nancy Carpenter lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-In 1882, the British steamship Pliny left Brazil for New York City with a cargo of coffee, hides, and a small group of passengers. Nearing the New Jersey shore, it encountered a furious storm and went aground. Carbone plays off this incident, telling of the journey through the eyes of a young passenger named Antonio, who, along with his friend Pedro, fantasizes about pirates and finds danger with the roll of every wave. When the Pliny nearly sinks, the children are convinced that the men on shore are their imagined pirates rather than rescuers. Saved via a breeches buoy by the Life-Saving Service, the boys discover what real danger is all about. Carpenter matches Carbone's growing pace with line work that effectively depicts the roiling seas and frothy waves. Good characterization adds to the drama. Boys, especially, will be captivated by the story of a sea rescue in the early days of the Coast Guard. An afterword fills out the details of the historical event and provides background on the work of the Life-Saving Service in the late 1800s.-Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Before the Coast Guard was established, the U.S. Life-Saving Service operated along the eastern seaboard, creating procedures for rescuing those on ships in distress close to shore. When the British steamship Pliny ran aground off New Jersey in a storm in 1882, men from several stations of the USLSS came to her aid, with the "Saints in Sou'westers" saving all aboard. Carbone's tale revolves around two real-life boys aboard the Pliny. Although she doesn't know their names, nor what they did while sailing, she's created a plausible backstory about their fascination with ships and pirates. But when the men from the USLSS fight harrowing conditions to rescue the crew and passengers, the boys quickly rethink their ideas about maritime role models: pirates are out, life savers are in. Carpenter's palette darkens as the storm intensifies; her surf churns with whitecaps, and thin diagonal scratch lines emphasize the bone-chilling, driving rain. This strong visual setting is slightly weakened by the depiction of the passengers, whose emotions are largely telegraphed by wide-open mouths. A comprehensive author's note, describing what Carbone knows and what she fictionalizes as well as information about the USLSS, rounds out this spirited introduction to historical fiction. betty carter(c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Pliny, bound for New York City from Brazil, founders in a storm off New Jersey. Anthony and his friend Pedro run onto the deck to gauge whether New York is near. Instead, they face life-threatening conditions, as towering waves splinter lifeboats and the engines die. In the gray dawn, the boys see land, men and--a cannon. Before there's much time to ponder pirates, a rescue line is launched from shore to ship, followed by the breeches buoy: "It comes swinging toward us hanging from the rope: a life preserver with a pair of short pants attached." One by one, passengers are hauled along the line to safety ashore at Deal Beach. Carbone's text conveys a compelling "you are there" tone as Anthony prepares to ride the breeches buoy: "I swing out into open space. Below me, waves crash and twist like angry snakes. Will the ropes hold?" Carpenter's pictures beautifully capture both historical detail and the event's inherent drama. A seagoing palette of blue, gray, brown and ochre, crosshatched in black, thoroughly suits the period. Riveting reading, well-timed for the centennial of the Titanic's sinking. (afterword) (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* As Anthony and his family travel by steamship in 1882, he and his friend, Pedro, amuse themselves by playing pirates on the deck. One night, in a fierce storm, the ship runs aground on a shoal off the New Jersey coast. The lifeboats are splintered by the sea, but the captain's signal flare is seen by the rescuers at the nearby Long Branch Life Saving Station. Using their cannon, they hurl lifesaving equipment out to the ship. When Anthony and Pedro first glimpse the men on shore and hear the cannon fire at their ship, they both shriek Pirates! They begin to understand as, one by one, the frightened passengers are hauled ashore. The following day, they honor the heroes of the surf. An afterword comments on the historical shipwreck of the Pliny. Carbone, whose novel Storm Warriors (2001) concerns African American lifesavers in the late 1800s, writes an exciting first-person narrative here, with plenty of sensory details, good imagery ( I hold on so tightly my fingers feel like crab claws ), and a consistently boy-like perspective. Shaded with colors, lines, and crosshatching, Carpenter's drawings create distinctive individual characters and capture intense emotions in a series of beautifully composed, often dramatic scenes.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
