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Summary and Reviews of Stowaway by Karen Hesse

Stowaway by Karen Hesse

Stowaway

by Karen Hesse
  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (51):
  • First Published:
  • Aug 1, 2000, 302 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jun 2002, 320 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

Sparkling with humor, poignancy and adventure, this story was inspired by a real boy who stowed away aboard Captain James Cook's ship Endeavour on its 1768 voyage..... Hesse's impeccable research buttresses the narrative with a wealth of detail. Age 11+

In the summer of 1768, an eleven-year-old butcher's apprentice named Nicholas Young climbed aboard a ship, hid himself from captain and crew, and waited to be carried far away from the life he hated in London.

Nick didn't know it, but the ship he chose -- H.M.S. Endeavour -- was bound for an astonishing adventure. Captained by James Cook, Endeavour was on a secret mission to discover an unknown continent at the bottom of the globe. During his three-year voyage, Nick encountered hardship and was awed by new discoveries; he weathered danger and proved himself brave when disaster struck; he earned the respect and trust of the gentlemen on board; he made a friend for life. And he made history.

An eleven-year-old boy named Nicholas Young really did stow away on Cook's Endeavour. Based on exhaustive historical research and illustrated with evocative drawings by Robert Andrew Parker, Stowaway is Newbery winner Karen Hesse's extraordinary fictional account of the real Nicholas's journey.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Kirkus Reviews
In a lucid, readable style, free of excessive nautical jargon, Hesse simultaneously takes readers along on one of history’s greatest enterprises, and introduces them to one of history’s most prodigious natural leaders.

Publisher's Weekly
Sparkling with humor, poignancy and adventure, ..... Hesse's impeccable research buttresses the narrative with a wealth of detail.

School Library Journal
Grades 5-9. The author's subtle yet thorough attention to detail creates a memorable tale that is a virtual encyclopedia of life in the days when England ruled the seas.

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Read-Alikes

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