Friday, September 23, 2011

Chasing the Nightbird by Krista Russell

He was so excited to be going on the Nightbird as a sailor instead of a cabin boy!  Then someone knocked him in the head and drug him off to another location...

Peachtree Publishers and Net Galley gave me the opportunity to review this ebook (thank you).  The book was published at the first of this month, so you can grab a copy at your local bookstore now.  I enjoyed this story.

Ms. Russell does a very nice job of drawing you a verbal picture of the life and times of Massachusetts during the 1850's.  Whaling boats arrived with their harvest and stocked up for the next voyage, which might take two or three years before they returned.  Slaves were allowed.  And the mills were enslaving anyone who would work hard and not complain.  It was a tough world then, especially if your father had died and you were underage.

Lucky was especially unfortunate because he had a half-brother that could indenture him.  Being underage meant you had no say in your life.  And when Fernando turns out to be a money grubbing nasty fella, Lucky feels even more despair.

Lucky's entire thought was to escape his brother and go back on the sea.  After all, who wants to be around landlubbers?  As time passes, Lucky learns a few lessons about life and what is really important.  Ms. Russell slowly works Lucky around to doing the right thing.

This is a fast moving tale with danger and no mercy shown on any front.  Your young adult will be anxious to see what happens next.  Encourage them to read some non-fiction books about the unsafe cotton mills, the Underground Railroad for slaves and a sailor's diary about life on the sea.  This is a great way to expand their knowledge of the era.

Happy reading.

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