Battle Fleet: Adventures of a Young Sailor [Hardcover]

Paul Dowswell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Adventures of a Young Sailor | Publication Date: February 19, 2008

Sam escapes death in Australia when the truth about his false conviction is finally revealed. But on the journey back to England he faces pirates and a terrible storm, before making the longed-for trip back up the river Thames. Finally reunited with his family in Norfolk, Sam realizes how much life at sea has become part of him. So when he hears that Napoleon plans to attack England, he is tempted to join the navy once more, and finds himself midshipman on none other than the Victory, preparing for one of the most epic battles in history: Trafalgar.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–10—In this sequel to Powder Monkey (2005) and Prison Ship (2006, both Bloomsbury), Sam and his friend Richard have a rocky voyage from Australia back to England on a merchant ship. Meanwhile England is at war with France, and the British navy is sending out press gangs to "recruit" sailors. When Sam is in London, he barely escapes a gang and decides to accept Viscount Neville's offer to purchase him a post in the navy as an officer. He is on the same ship as Admiral Lord Nelson and fights with him in the legendary Battle of Trafalgar. Sam's sailing story starts slowly, taking several chapters for the wind to come into the plot sails. Even then, it feels more like a choppy travelogue than an adventure story. One can only wish that Sam mused less about what he should and should not do. Dowswell, however, does give a wealth of historical detail about 19th-century sailing without detracting too much from the plot. The author is at his best describing the Battle of Trafalgar and the funeral of Admiral Lord Nelson, which he based on eyewitness accounts. Fans of the series will be interested in this new segment of Sam's life, and teens interested in sailing stories may be willing to swim through it as well.—Samantha Larsen Hastings, West Jordan Public Library, UT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Young seafarer Sam stood next to Horatio Nelson at the battle of Copenhagen in Powder Monkey (2005), was court-martialed and transported to Australia in Prison Ship (2006), and here comes full circle—returning to England with a pardon to stand near Nelson at Trafalgar, and later to march in Nelson’s funeral. Dowswell surrounds his intrepid narrator with scurvy knaves and loyal friends, tucks in generous measures of well-researched nautical detail, and when battle finally comes, doesn’t stint on the gore. He’s still a little slow getting to the action scenes, but fans of the Hornblower saga or the likes of Michael Molloy’s Peter Raven under Fire (2005) will sail along, happy to see Sam’s fortunes, in love and in war, on the rise. A historical afterword and schematic drawings of HMS Victory and the climactic line of battle are worthwhile additions. Grades 5-8. --John Peters

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; 1st edition (February 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599900807
• ISBN-13: 978-1599900803
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #440,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Historical Series for boys!, August 11, 2008

By 

B. Billerbeck "krisbeck" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Battle Fleet: Adventures of a Young Sailor (Hardcover)

My son loves these books! He informed me that someone dies in every chapter, so I guess that's a good thing from a 13 year-old history buff standpoint. Lots of adventure and fabulous historical facts to boot. Trust me, I heard about them all.

5.0 out of 5 stars Battle Fleet, October 31, 2010

By 

D. Smith "Book Worm" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Battle Fleet: Adventures of a Young Sailor (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my Son, he loves the book. My other son would like to read it as well. This book is part of a series and they really like the whole series.