The Buccaneers [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Iain Lawrence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 2001

Sequel to The Smugglers

"There's pirates in the West Indies. Cannibals. They cook you alive." His father's words will haunt seventeen-year-old John Spencer as he embarks on his first voyage to foreign lands. Carrying cargo destined for Jamaica, John and his Dragon crew set off from London for waters few of them have sailed before. When they come upon a lifeboat adrift, some are wary of the sailor on board. His name is Horn, and something about him isn't right. Still, John respects his awe-inspiring seamanship. But is Horn to be trusted?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

acked with as much excitement and adventure as its predecessors (The Wreckers and The Smugglers), Lawrence's conclusion to the High Seas trilogy opens as John Spencer, now 17 and a seasoned sailor, takes his shift steering the Dragon (purchased by his father in The Smugglers) and spots a lifeboat. On their way from England to the Indies carrying a cargo of wool, the Dragon's crew members get their first taste of impending danger after they rescue from the lifeboat a stranger whose mysterious history connects him to a crew massacred by a band of pirates led by the malicious Captain Bartholomew Grace. As fate would have it, the Dragon ends up playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with Grace's vessel, the Apostle. Tension mounts after the Dragon's captain is stricken with fever and it is up to John to steer his boat home to safety. This high-seas tale set in the 19th century offers plenty of full-blooded salty characters, cunning dialogue, surprises around every corner and a classic battle between good and evil. The author's first-hand knowledge of sailing and skill at building suspense will keep readers riveted from first page to last. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. This swashbuckling tale concludes the trilogy begun with The Wreckers (1998) and The Smugglers (1999). The story opens with John Spencer, now 16 years old, once more accompanying Captain Butterfield on a voyage aboard the Dragon. Sailing the schooner toward the Caribbean, they find a lifeboat floating in open seas and rescue its occupant, Mr. Horn, who joins the crew. Although he proves a useful addition in many ways, one of the sailors declares Horn to be "a Jonah," who will bring misfortune on the ship. And misfortunes certainly occur, from piracy and pestilence to storms and skullduggery. But like John, readers will find treasure and adventure here. In a wonderfully rounded ending to the series, the Dragon emerges from a fog and heads straight toward the Tombstones, those jagged rocks that caused the wreck of the Isle of Skye, with John Spencer aboard, as the first book began. A fine conclusion, sure to please the many readers who enjoyed the first two books in this richly atmospheric trilogy. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (December 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786234644
• ISBN-13: 978-0786234646
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,897,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A COOL BOOK!, March 2, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Buccaneers (High Seas Trilogy) (Paperback)

This book ii about a man name john spencer and hs ship called the dragon. They are sailing and they come cross small boat. There was a man name Horn on the boat. He tells them of a isand with tresure and canibals.

I thought the book was hard to start but t was got better after a cupple chapters. There was alot of action latter in the book. I like a book wth alot of action in the whole book so i might be differnt for other people.

Once agn he only part I did not like is the begining. Al they did was sail around. I thought it good at the part with the storm. Also when they got to the island.

Over all t was very good book. I woul recamend you read the first two books before this one they do not talk about the characters very much. I like the plot and theme of this book. it was a good book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Kids View Of The Buccaneers, April 6, 2005

By 

Class 15 (San Anselmo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Buccaneers (High Seas Trilogy) (Paperback)

This book is about a nineteen year old boy named John Spencer. He tells the story in his own perspective. In this book, the third book of a wonderful series about John and his many adventures at sea, John and his crewmates on The Dragon, battle pirates, deliver cargo to a port in the West Indies, find ghost ships at sea, and have many other exciting adventures before they return to their home country of England.

There are many great things about this book. I really appreciated how the author used descriptive words in almost every sentence. I also really liked the setting of the story, Central American waters in the early 1800's.

What can I say, the author did such a good job writing this book there is not to much he can improve on. He could probably describe the characters a little better though.

In the long run I would give this book a rating of five on a scale from one to five.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Buccaneers, January 6, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Buccaneers (High Seas Trilogy) (Paperback)

My book the Buccaneers is a very good book if you like adventures. It took place in London and out on in the ocean. I recommend this book to a teenager or older. If you like pirates you will love this book. When I started reading this I couldn't put it down at all. It makes you want to keep reading tell you finish it. There's a captain and his ship friends who try to sail across the sea until they found an island where there were some very nasty pirates who love to cook people alive.