Murder Afloat

Gr 5—8—While on an errand for his mother, 14-year-old Benjamin is kidnapped along with a group of immigrants from the streets of Baltimore in 1868. When he wakes, he finds he is aboard an oyster ship, Ella Dawn, where he is expected to perform hard labor with little food. He comes from a fairly wealthy family, and has had an easy life. The captain is cruel, and Ben sees many men killed or thrown overboard. While he misses his family, he soon grows accustomed to the life and finds himself contemplating a future on the high seas. In order for that to happen, he has to find a way to make it off the ship alive. Conly does a decent job of pacing the novel with a mixture of danger and adventure. The story follows Ben in his effort to survive as his character grows and changes over the course of the novel. While a couple of slow spots exist, Murder Afloat has enough plot twists to keep readers involved.—Rebecca Webster, Warren County Middle School, Front Royal, VA