The Drift House: The First Voyage [Hardcover]

Dale Peck (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

In the tradition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and A Wrinkle in Time comes the first book in an exciting fantasy series about three siblings’ adventures on the high sea—the Sea of Time, that is.
After 9/11, Susan and her younger brothers, Charles and Murray, are sent to live with their uncle Farley in Canada. Uncle Farley’s house looks like a ship perched at the edge of the sea, but it’s not until a great flood comes that the house’s name—Drift House—starts to make sense. Floating aimlessly on the Sea of Time, the ship-like house begins to yield its many secrets—including a mural that seems to predict the future, a dumbwaiter that enables Murray to travel into the future and back again, and a parrot historian who’s also a gifted translator. But when a clan of diabolical mermaids trick the children and their uncle into helping them carry out a plan that will stop time forever, it will take all of Susan’s ingenuity—along with some help from a great whale, a band of pirates, and a magic carpet—to set things straight.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–Drift House chronicles the extraordinary experiences of three children placed in the guardianship of their eccentric uncle in the aftermath of September 11th. Uncle Farley lives in the nautically designed Drift House, which is situated on the Bay of Eternity in Canada. Shortly after their arrival, 12-year-old Susan and her two younger brothers discover that the mysterious house is actually a ship, and that they have unwittingly embarked on a voyage across the Sea of Time. What ensues is a thrilling and perilous adventure in which the children meet an almost superfluous cast of fantastical creatures, including a crew of Time Pirates and a band of malevolent mermaids who serve as minions of the wicked undersea Queen Octavia. When Susan is commandeered into playing a pivotal role in a diabolical plot to stop time, she must resist an otherworldly power in order to triumph over evil. This otherwise fast-moving and compelling fantasy/adventure becomes somewhat mired in convoluted discourse on metaphysics and complex explanations of temporality, which includes an overtly didactic message regarding the ramifications of humankind's proclivity for racing headlong toward the future. However, readers will find themselves drawn in by the appealing characters, generous doses of humor, and the palpable presence of the narrator, who addresses readers directly, sharing intimate details and inviting them to take part in the story as it unfolds.–Debbie Lewis O'Donnell, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-11. After the events of 9/11, Mr and Mrs. Oakenfeld send their three children from New York City to Uncle Farley's home on the Bay of Eternity, somewhere in Canada. Uncle Farley and his often-sassy parrot, President Wilson, inhabit a strange, shiplike home called the Drift House. A flood sends the Drift House (and the children) into the bay and then beyond into the Sea of Time, where they meet mermaids, pirates, a talking frog, and Pierre Marin, the builder of the Drift House. The complex plot contains ruminations on the nature of time, but fortunately the story isn't swamped by philosophical insights. Funny lines come at needed intervals, and Susan, the oldest of the Oakenfeld children, turns out to be a plucky heroine that readers will cheer for. This title, by a well-known literary critic, is best for fantasy fans with a philosophical bent. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 420 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; First Edition edition (August 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158234969X
• ISBN-13: 978-1582349695
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,516,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A classic fantasy novel, September 4, 2005

By 

Marylou Lynn "mll_who_loves_to_read" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Drift House: The First Voyage (Hardcover)

I picked up this book in the store out of sheer curiosity, and ended up reading it cover to cover the same day. (I read fast!) I loved the updating of the kids sent away from parents theme and the strong characters, especially Susan. I am glad Dale Peck plans to make this a series - I look forward to the next installment.
The main story is set in the Sea of Time - a place outside of our own time boundaries. Murray, the five year old brother, is the first to travel forward in time, and comes back not only changed but with sobering news: Susan is killed in that future. Trying to figure out how to escape from the sea without losing Susan is their first problem - mermaids and pirates give them others. Family and unexpected friendships play an important part in helping them save themselves - and time itself. If you enjoy the Narnia books, give this a try!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Crooked House, December 23, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Drift House: The First Voyage (Hardcover)

A crooked house, a talking parrot, a temperologist (a person who literally studies time) for an uncle and even mermaids! (With very bad tempers though and an octopus disguised as a mermaid for a queen.) All of this is in this amazing book Drift House: The First Voyage by Dale Peck.

It is about a girl named Susan and her two younger brothers, Charles and Murray, escaping September eleventh by getting evacuated from their city house to live with their Uncle Farley in an old house that is called Drift House next to the Bay of Eternity which leads into the Sea of Time. Pretty good spot for a temperologist huh? Wrong-o. Here is why...

On the first day the children find that Drift House has drifted out into the Bay of Eternity and then out onto the Sea of Time. According to President Wilson (the parrot), Drift House is some kind of time vessel and next thing they know. Susan and her brothers end up having to save time itself from extinction.

If you like Dragon Rider or any other kind of fantasy or adventure book you will LOVE Drift House. Some of it is funny, but I have to warn you. It has more than four hundred pages. One of my favorite parts, (well it is not just one part, it is actually a lot of parts though out the book) is when Susan (the eldest sister) says something British like, "I daresay" Charles (the middle brother) says, "Don't say `I daresay,' it's affected."

If you think that Drift House is just about time, I daresay you are wrong. Whoops I forgot, `I daresay' is affected.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Delightful, September 9, 2005

By 

Elaine Golin (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Drift House: The First Voyage (Hardcover)

Drift House is gripping and adventure-filled, jam packed with mermaids, pirates, clever parrots and magical dumbwaiters. There is enough "action" to appeal to children of all ages, and like the previous reviewer I was so involved, I read it straight through in one sitting. But it is also wonderfully clever, and often laugh out loud funny. In the best tradition of classic children's fantasy novels (Nesbit, Eager, Lewis, etc.), Drift House is never condescending or simplistic, but instead trusts and challenges children's intelligence. Like those classic authors, Peck has created a vividly detailed imaginary world with just the right amount of "real world" connections. I can't wait for the next book!