A Sailor Returns [Paperback]

Theodore Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Eleven-year-old Evan Bryant¹s life is changed forever when a letter arrives from his grandfather, who has been presumed dead for thirty years. In the dog days of summer, with no school and nothing to do, Evan can hardly wait for the old sailor to take him fishing and share his incredible tales of life on the high seas. But when Grandpa Pentreath arrives, he brings with him a shocking secret‹one he¹s sure will drive Evan and his mother away forever. Dramatic and powerful, this novel shows that it takes tremendous courage to ask for forgiveness‹and tremendous courage to forgive.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

He's the kind of grandfather that any 11-year-old would love to have: a salty old scalawag who's sailed the Seven Seas, chock-full of tales about shark attacks, press gangs, Chinese "tat parlors," and how the boys off Sumatra wear tiger-tooth amulets on the sheaths of their fighting knives. (Realize, of course, that we're talking about 1914 here.)

Evan Bryant is just such an 11-year-old. And although he didn't even think he had a grandpa (his mom's dad was thought to have been lost at sea when she was only 3), a surprise letter arrives from him--one Thomas "Chips" Pentreath, formerly of Mouzel, England, now living in an old sailors' home in Brooklyn-- saying that he'd like to visit his long-lost daughter. Evan's mom and dad are both uneasy about reuniting with this mysterious relative, especially with such an impressionable young son about. But even they don't realize that they might have reason to be leery--and they won't discover the old man's guilty secret until after he arrives.

This exciting, fun, and downright convincing period tale about family, friendship, and honesty from veteran children's author Theodore Taylor is sure to make many a kid wish they'd be shanghaied. (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly

In a tender story by veteran writer Taylor (The Cay; The Bomb), set in coastal Virginia in the summer of 1914, 11-year-old Evan, a small boy with a clubfoot, awaits the arrival of his long-lost maternal grandfather. Evan's mother, initially uneasy about seeing her father after a 30-year absence, refers to him as just a "fishing scalawag." But when 70-year-old Tom, also small in stature with a limp of his own, steps off the train from Brooklyn, he turns out to be Evan's salvation. When Evan comments, "We'll look funny walking beside each other," his grandfather replies, "We'll walk proudly, Evander, and pay no attention to others; I never have." The two bond over fishing, boatbuilding and exotic sea stories. Tom tells Evan that "most things are possible," providing him with an antidote to the bullying of a classmate and to his own father's sternness and insensitivity (he refers to Evan as a "cripple"). In the novel's one stretch, Tom is accused of murder, which precipitates his confession of a dark secret; everyone's lives are affected, ultimately for the better. Taylor proves once again his ability to evoke affecting characters and complex relationships with his signature spare prose. Ages 8-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Blue Sky Press; 1ST edition (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439248795
• ISBN-13: 978-0439248792
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,854,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sailor Returns, February 8, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Sailor Returns (Paperback)

After 30 years, and long thought to be lost at sea, 11 year old Evander Bryant's grandfather, Tom "Chips" Pentreath, finally returns.

Both Evan and Tom have foot problems. Evan has a clubfoot, and Tom had a broken ankle that healed incorrectly. They both limp when they walk.

During their first dinner, Evan's dad, Howard, asks where the old sailor has been for the past 30 years. Tom did not want to talk about it. Therein lies a deep, dark secret that is hard for Tom to discuss with them. Howard doesn't trust Tom, and tells him he can only stay for one week.

Tom is a veteran sailor, and Evan wants to know all about his time at sea. Tom tells Evan and his best friend, Buddy, about the ships, countries, and good times he had out at sea. But, not all of the times were good ones.

Evan has soom problems of his own. He is getting picked on at school. He asks his grandfather for help, and Tom said to kick the bully where it hurt. Evan also asks his grandfather to help him to build a boat. The boat took five days to finish.

When it was time to leave, Tom promised Evan and Buddy that he would come back and take them fishing. Tom only stayed at Evan's house for a short time, but Evan wanted him to stay forever. Tom said, "That wouldn't be fair to your mother." After that, Tom got on a ferry and left.

Would Chips Pentreath keep his promise and come back? And, what is the deep, dark secret the old sailor carries with him?

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sailor Returns, November 8, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Sailor Returns (Mass Market Paperback)

The book that I read is called A Sailor Returns.It is about a kid who is 11 years old and is bullied alot at school.He has a dad who is involved in his work too much to do anything with his son. Then his granpa, a sailor, came and hung with him. He taught him a lot of stuff and helped him with some of his problems.Then his granpa helped him build a boat. Then they went fishing something that he had always wanted to do with his dad.

I really liked reading this book if you want to find out what happened you should check this book out. you might even learn a lesson how to get rid of your bullying problems. There is another great reason to check out this book.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Touching but Disappointing, July 4, 2001

By 

Mary Jane Weber (New Jersey,USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Sailor Returns (Paperback)

In an otherwise touching and wonderful story about a man finding his family after many years, a family discovering the father/ grandfather they thought dead, and their reunion for a brief summer, I was truly disappointed in the depiction of the father/ son-in-law. Eleven year old Even Bryant is pleasantly surprised to discover that his maternal grandfather, a sailor presumed dead, finds his family and comes for a short visit. His deep dark secrects of where he has been and what has kept him from seeking out his family before this are told. My disappointment comes from the way Even's father is characterized. He is a regular church attender and even sings in the choir, but is depicted as mean spirited and mercenary. I find it a bit offensive that the only really religious person in the story is depicted this way. I suggest that anyone who wishes to encourage their children to attend religious services to read this book before giving it to a child. This is reviewed from a uncorrected proof version of the book.