Tom Cringle: Battle on the High Seas [Hardcover]

Gerald Hausman (Author), Tad Hills (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000 | Age Level: 8 and up

I, Tom Cringle, two days before my

thirteenth birthday, have made the

decision of my life: to go to sea.

Just two and a half weeks after Tom makes this bold declaration, he sets sail aboard the Bream as a midshipman in England's navy. The War of 1812 is raging, and Tom's ship is headed for Jamaica to patrol the waters against pirates.

Tom finds all the adventure he ever dreamed of -- and then some. Within his first few months as a sailor, he's caught in a life-and-death battle with a mysterious ghost ship, is rescued from a shipwreck by his faithful dog, Sneezer, survives an earthquake, and is kidnapped by Obediah Glasgow, a fierce and dangerous pirate for whom Tom develops an unexpected loyalty.

Tom Cringle: Battle on the High Seas is a fast-paced and gripping story of life on the high seas, of conflicting allegiances, and of finding friends where they are least expected. But most all, it is the tale of a boy who seeks a personal code of honor to guide him through unpredictable and perilous times. Tom's earnest, honest voice and the dynamic and memorable characters he meets make this an irresistible coming-of-age story that will resonate with readers long after they've turned the final page.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-A 13-year-old English boy offers a first-person account of eight adventurous months at sea during the War of 1812. Tom's coming-of-age story begins with his appointment as a midshipman on the Bream, a guard vessel ordered to protect Britain's Caribbean colonies against prowling ships, many of which have been commandeered by pirates. Admired for his "eagle's eye" that can spot enemy ships miles away, Tom quickly becomes the chief lookout and the captain's favorite. When a violent storm destroys the ship, only the boy, his dog, and two other crew members survive. Eventually the group is taken aboard the Blackbird, a pirate ship commanded by Obediah Glasgow, a haughty Scottish freeman who accepts their gold buttons as payment for safe passage to a British naval station. Tom is simultaneously fascinated and frightened by the scurrilous Obediah, and the two forge a strange, unlikely friendship. The first third of this novel is fast-paced and entertaining, brimming with colorful descriptions of life aboard the Bream, where Tom experiences drudgery, disease, thrilling naval battles, and the death of a companion. After the vessel is destroyed, however, the plot begins to flounder, moving erratically through a disjointed series of events and settings that do little to sustain readers' interest. Hausman writes with flourish and can fill five pages with the description of a sword fight's acrobatics, but doesn't flesh out his characters or plot with the same detail or fervor.
William McLoughlin, Brookside School, Worthington, OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Gerald Hausman is a professional storyteller who has spent more than thirty years gathering stories in the United States and West Indies. He based Tom Cringle: Battle on the High Seas on Tom Cringle's Log by Michael Scott, a novel originally published in 1833, and on authentic logbooks of the time. Mr. Hausman is the acclaimed author of many books for children and adults, including Doctor Moledinky's Castle, which School Library Journal named to its list of "Sleepers: 100 Books Too Good to Miss." He co-authored two books with his wife, Loretta -- Dogs of Myth, illustrated by Barry Moser, and Cats of Myth, illustrated by Leslie Baker. He lives in Bokeelia, Florida.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 185 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689828101
• ISBN-13: 978-0689828102
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,584,235 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am an inveterate storyteller, which is to say: I love to do it, am helpless not to do it, and I do it all the time, even when I am by myself there is an inner monologue going on in my head. This habit of privately roving around in the land of legends is something I've done for as long as I can remember. My mom worried about me when she saw that I spent too much time by myself. I would creep into a closet and close the door and in the silence of the darkness I would spin tales of all kinds. I was never lonely as a kid because I had the imagination of a wild thing, and I was content to play in the fields and valleys and secret caves of that imaginary world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An old fashioned adventure story., August 11, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tom Cringle: Battle on the High Seas (Hardcover)

This adventure set during the War of 1812 has many of the elements found in classic sea stories: There's storms, a shipwreck, pirates, a brave young hero, and more. The narrator is a thirteen-year-old boy named Tom Cringle who joins the British navy in 1812. The ship he is stationed on, the Bream, heads for the Carribean to guard the colonies. Along the way he makes friends and enemies, survives storms, a shipwreck, and a terrible disease, and is captured by pirates. The book was similiar to those in the My Name is America series in that it told of historical events through a young boy's journal. Highly reccomended if you like that series, historical fiction, sea stories, or good, old fashioned adventure.

2.0 out of 5 stars A Historical Ficton Likers book, November 30, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Tom Cringle: Battle on the High Seas (Hardcover)

Tom Cringle Battle on the High seas is a pretty good book for Historical Ficton likers, but it is kind of boring. It's about a thirteen year old boy that goes out to sea to be a sailor. Some of the main characters are Captin Dally, Johnny, Mr. Smythe, Peter, and of course Tom Cringle which is very brave. My favorite part is when the battle happened near the end, and the whole crew was very, very brave!