The 290 [Paperback]

Scott O'Dell (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Jim Lynne is idly playing darts in Liverpool when his brother, Ted, calls him over to a table to ask a question about the ship that he is working on. It seems the ship, enigmatically named the 290, is not the cargo ship that people are saying it is. Whatever its purpose, it is certainly built for speed. But Jim thinks he knows that purpose: it is being built for the Confederate navy.

And so launches the story of the intertwined fates of a ship and a boy. The ship would go down in history as one of the most famous vessels of the Civil War. Originally the 290, she would come to be known as the Alabama. Jim, whose father is a slave trader, will have to reconcile his own hatred for slavery with his love for the ship he made and the captain who sails her. Destiny will give him a chance to do just that...

"Once again [Scott O'Dell] is able to refract universal themes of liberty and self-awareness through history's prism."
-School Library Journal

"The author displays his distinctive gifts for distilling significance from historical matter and for dealing with the sea. ... With lively conversation and with increasing tension, from confrontations at sea and aboard Jim's ship, the author crisply tells the story, skillfully integrating historical elements. ... Immediately captures the reader's interest." -Horn Book

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scott O'Dell is the author of many timeless children's tales including Island of the Blue Dolphins, Zia, The King's Fifth, The Black Pearl, and Black Star, Bright Dawn. He was the first American to ever be awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Children's Literature. The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction was created in his honor.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; Reissue edition (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402213263
• ISBN-13: 978-1402213267
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Scott O'Dell (1898-1989), one of the most respected authors of historical fiction, received the Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honor Medals, and the Hans Christian Andersen Author Medal, the highest international recognition for a body of work by an author of books for young readers. Some of his many books include The Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Road to Damietta, Sing Down the Moon, and The Black Pearl.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars good book to read, August 21, 2011

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The 290 (Paperback)

just started this book as part of my summer reading and would recommend to other. Can't wait to finish it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The 290 (A great book), March 23, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The 290 (Hardcover)

Summary: This story is about a man named William Bromley who is an architect, and recently built a ship named the 290 that he fell in love with at the very beginning. Unexpectedly, on the opening day for the 290, it was taken over, and brought out to sea. William decided to sail with the crew, and the trip was on!
Throughout the book, William and the other sailors on the 290 are sailing about the sea, and taking over different countries ships. During the time out at sea, William discovers that since he had left home many years ago, his father had been working as a slave trader in Port-au-Prince. He deceived the men there into thinking he had spoken with his father's partner and stowed away 250 slaves on his ship. He then left them in the Canary Islands so that they could live a happy life without being given orders. This book has action and sorrow, but to find out what happens next, you need to get this book, and read it.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The 290 A Disappointment, February 17, 2010

By 

Bruce A. Brotherton (Idabel, Ok. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The 290 (Paperback)

This is a very thin little book. While it does stick to the facts to a point,the author has his character leave the ship for an extentded length of time and is therefore able to skip much of what happened to the Alabama. He does very little to develop the characters. I was sorry I wasted my time and money.


Bruce B.