| Booktalk
#1
During the 18th century, the
rocky, isolated coast of Cornwall, England, was a treacherous spot for
cargo ships. Lanterns on the high cliffs could light the way to safety,
or they could lure ships and their crews to certain death and destruction
on the rocks below. Fourteen-year-old John Spencer, aboard his father's
ship, the "Isle of Skye", faces a dilemma: were the local villagers rescuers
or wreckers? (Jeannie Bellavance bellavance@erols.com.
for
Pennsylvania
Young Reader's Choice Awards)
Booktalk #2
John and his father are dashed
to the rocky Cornwall coast during a voyage to deliver goods. The
lights on the cliffs belong to the Wreckers, those who live off the misfortune
of others. John soon learns that his father is being held prisoner
and must rescue him, but without knowing who he can trust, perhaps least
of all his father who had something of value on board the ship besides
cargo. With the help of the niece of the man he believes to be the
leader of the Wreckers, John finds his father in one of literature's most
compelling descriptions, down a brick tunnel just above the waterline.
Will John have the skill to save his father? Will he be able to judge
who to trust and who to hide from? This is truly a page turner with
non-stop action and horrific danger that leaves readers wanting more.
(New Hampshie Great Stone Face Committee) |
