The Dark Canoe

Gr 5–9—After the disappearance of one brother and the sinking of his ship during a previous mission at sea, followed by his other brother being stripped of his captain's title, 16-year-old Nathan and his disgraced brother Caleb join a new crew looking for redemption. Their purpose is to find their brother and recover the valuable cargo from the sunken holds of the Amy Foster. But when Nathan discovers a mysterious box floating in the dark water, little does he know the role it will play in the dark events surrounding his current voyage. In addition, he can't help noticing some disturbing similarities between Ahab in Herman Melville's Moby Dick, a birthday gift from Caleb, and actions Caleb is taking that might well lead to mutiny. Danny Gerard's narration of the half-mad Caleb is by far the most dynamic realization of O'Dell's characters (Houghton Mifflin, 1968). The other characters are not well differentiated, confusing listeners at time.—Michaela Schied, Indian River Middle School, Philadelphia, NY