not a " boy's adventure story"
347219
An enjoyable read. Years ago I read the first entry of this series following the career and personal trials and tribulations of  Matthew Hervey,and his fictional 6th Light dragoons. Happily I became  reacquainted  with this series and will continue with other volumes. The "mind's eye look" at the Zulu of Shaka's time was fascinating.  However, the glimpse at the social interaction among military officers, troopers as well as civilians was, for myself, most interesting .  This is a more mature rendition of  "musket and ball " or "slash and dash" military fiction. I recommend.  Bill McVey

paper back  edition
129137
Like many of the more famous Verne books, this has been seen as largely a children's book. While it is less "adult" than many of Verne's other works, it can be enjoyed by adults too. Also, the content is certainly not suitable for a particularly young audience.

The story is of Dick Sands - a 15 year old crew member on a ship with an eclectic collection of people on board during this particular voyage. After a tragedy, he is left to run the ship himself. They eventually run ashore and (thinking they are in South America) meet a man called Harris, who generously offers to be their guide in getting back to "civilisation". However, he has more sinister plans, as it turns out they are actually in Equatorial Africa at the height of the slave trade. Capitalising on their delusion, Harris betrays them and the party is enslaved. The rest of the book is an account of their (especially Dick's) attempts at resistance and escape.

The book is great at showing the maturity, courage and resourcefulness of Dick, a classic case of having to grow up soon and doing very well at it. It also offers a shocking and brutal portraying of the slave trade (which is why it's not suitable for the very young), largely based on the accounts of the explorers Stanely and Livingstone. It is here that I think the book suffers a setback, as Verne overdoes it in an oft-too-dydactic way. It is understandable due to the fact that he comes from a context of a newly-found French liberalism and in his time, slavery was a more recent issue in terms of the US and other Western countries. So, the level rhetoric detracts from the book for a modern reader.

Still, it's an unyielding and sublime account of the unspeakable horrors of the Atlantic slave trade and a good adventure story too, so an enjoyable and accessible work of Verne here.
4238665
It is not easy to write a book on a sex related subject with the restraint that keeps it from being overly gross.  Given that this story is about such a subject,  the author has not gone over what he had to write, to make such a story reasonable.
Given that he is a man he also has done a reasonable job of dealing with the things women say about men and sex when they are talking women to women.
He also has done a good job of defining the terms of the genetic patterns he is using that give the Bigfoot a different sexual mode than humans have.
 While the genetics may or may not be more than fiction,  there are different type of Bigfoot and they almost certainly have different genetics in that area.  I recall a sighting report by an older lady who was hiding in the bushes and peeked through to get a view that she reported, he was definitely a man.
While I was not crazy about the behavior of this Bigfoot, many of the human characters in the story were not much better. But given I chose to read this kind of book, because I have liked the authors nonfiction work about Bigfoot, it was the first Bigfoot fiction I have liked as fiction, not so much due to the story line but due to the integrity of the author to the subject and the quality of the writing relating to the genre.  I imagine that Mr. Crowe got some feedback from women readers that is similar to some of the remarks of the female characters.  I also think that given the warnings he makes  to not read it if you don't like the subject matter, and that after the warning, those women did read it, their feed back was not very ladylike.
Anyone reading Bigfoot books knows that there is little evidence of Bigfoot being sexually aggressive.  But given the range of the types we know of,  there are a few reports of some that are not very nice. I once went out with a man because I thought he must be all right, being the friend of a friend I highly respect, and I had to walk home.  I cant pretend that I think all Bigfoot are gentlemen either.
3280067
Unlike the series by C. S. Forester (Hornblower) , Patrick O'Brian (Aubrey/Maturin), or Alexander Kent (Bolitho), this is a work of historical <u>non</u>-fiction. It contains as much adventure and drama as any of those, but the human flaws and stress of the captains and crews of the ships involved lead to some real disasters.
Unfortunately, Poolman's writing is not up to the adventure. It reads like a history text (and indeed it's got footnotes to primary sources) and not like a novel. The drama of the events isn't buried, it's too desperate for that, but it does take some effort to plow through it. A better treatment could have taken this tale and really done justice to the personal interactions and emotions of the sailors. Poolman's approach maintains a dry historical tone throughout, relying on letters, log-books, and journals to convey the tensions - and due to the etiquette of the era, much of the tension that must have been there is not conveyed.
All in all, I did like the book but the value has to come from the fact that this is a real story of naval adventure and desperation, and not from the writing. If you want history, read this. If you want great naval writing, look to O'Brien or Forester.
3511491
Not an adventure when compared to fictional safari tales in which the intrepid travellers fight off fierce lions and savage "natives" in every chapter. Instead, an enjoyable and realistic account of Greene's arduous and near-disasterous trek through Liberia. Greene travelled with his cousin, Barbara Greene, who also wrote an account of their journey--Too Late to Turn Back. Interesting contrasts between the two books if you can find copies of both. I had to order a copy of Barbara's book from a used book store in England.
1213941
Well, I'm not saying that gals won't enjoy this also, but this is good wholesome boy's fiction.  While science fiction, it's also just plain good adventure fiction.  It doesn't insult the reader's intelligence; it doesn't talk down to the reader.  It has well detailed characters and the only bit of criticism I hold is that as literature, it is rather formulaic in that the relationships of each character to the protagonist will likely remind you of those in other young adult fiction.

Be that as it may, this is truly worthy action adventure and realistic, set far enough into the future that as slow as any exploration into space is developing, we just might have a moon colony in the 22nd century.
3287473
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I really liked this but if you are looking for a story with concrete answers and a big reveal at the end then this probably isn't for you. I felt like the art style and the meandering plot really worked well together to set up a mildly creepy seaside mood throughout the story. I think this would be a fun adventure story for younger readers, but there isn't necessarily a 'satisfying' resolution at the end so I know some people won't like this. This story is definitely more about the mood and the journey than the ending and I enjoyed it because of that.
1502786
All of my kids preferred the original book and anticipated the coming out of this book.  However, the one boy did not finish it, he lost interest. The other boys finished it, but liked the original better.

The hardest thing for them to grasp was that the main character continued to make bad choices throughout the whole book, and that was frustrating.

Still, this is definitely an adventure story that would be a nice read in the summer. I do not think it will appeal to boys as much as girls.
1137058
Don't laugh, but "The Literary Rat" in his preschool days once wanted to be a ballet dancer, though I lacked the discipline and stick-to-it factor I've learned to develop for writing over time, but I'm all for boys who dare to defy "gender norms" with wild abandon.

This is one of those books that I would've loved to read when I first became enchanted by the ballet, and while it may not have kept me on the ballet path, I at least could've had this as literary empowerment armor whenever some chauvinist lad or lass says "That's only for GIRLS!"

Well, I wouldn't have used the word "Chauvinist" at age 4, of course.

But by age 9, to use a retro tween play on words: For sure! (That was the beginning of my "I Love Lucy" obsession), but that's a whole other story...

Nate, like any sensible nonconformist, has no qualms disagreeing with his "Know-it-All" big brother who by contrast is more "Tom Sawyer" than "Baryshnikov" [buh-rish-ni-kawf], but at times can't help but wonder "Is he right?"

Would I have to wear a tutu?
Do I have to wear pink even though I'm a boy?
Can boys even be "Ballerinas" at all?

Well, the latter's kind of true, but NOT how you think, and I'll let the book show that to not spoil the pathos!

The illustration style is appropriately traditional, hand-drawn watercolors has charm to spare, and accents the movement and grace that any serious dancer (ballet or otherwise) can relate to, and also gives readers with self-proclaimed "Two Left Feet" syndrome a glimpse into the art and practice of dance in general, and ballet in particular.

It's very hard to talk about this book without another famous ballet student in the fantastical fauna universe, but rest assured, this book while great for both genders gives those nontraditional boys something they can identify with.

While gender doesn't solely define our identity as it once did (In some parts of the world, anyway...), parental baggage aside, it does play a part, and this book honors that, without stereotyping, and at the same time doesn't shy away from the questions (be they spoken or unspoken) even the most progressive and open-minded families ask at times.

This is in many ways "Angelina Ballerina" for boys, only here we have anthropomorphic dogs (and/or wolves, it's not quite specific either way) instead of mice, but here it's the youngest in the family that takes center stage.

Sadly, unlike the mouselet star with big dreams, this seems to be a one and done, but what a wonderful and worthy one and done it is!

If you've got a ballet fan of the male persuasion, tell him I said "BRAVO!" and to give him this book.

He'll thank you for it, if not in words, in his actions when one day he too could be a Supremo Ballerino, just like Nate. Ballet Men UNITE!

-Originally reviewed on TalkingAnimalAddicts.com
2791173
Reason for Reading: The ds read aloud to me for his reader.

Summary: The story of two boys who find a message in a bottle from another boy who must come from the Lighthouse island. So they send a message back with a secret code embedded and so the messages continue until eventually the three boys meet, set up a secret club, and end the summer with a camp out on the island.

Comments: An enjoyable story with plenty going on to appeal to boys: messages in bottles and exploring the beach, secret codes and secret clubs, exploring the lighthouse and camping. The 9yo enjoyed it, especially decoding the secret words in the messages, well enough but not to the degree he has enjoyed other books. While a nice story, the lack of a climax leaves the story without excitement. The illustrations by Arnold Lobel are quite out of character from his usual children's illustrations. The cover picture is indicative of the inside drawings except the palette is limited to yellow, blue and black with the yellow/blue occasionally mixing to make a faint green. It is a very scribbley type of drawing and ds said "It was a good book but I didn't like the pictures."

Still, a nice enough story with real boy characters doing things that boys like to do. The book has been out of print for many years but is readily available used online at low prices.
3619198
This book is part of the My America series aimed at young readers. Young readers, boys and girls, will find the book to be an easy read for the most part. It is told in the first person narrative of a young boy named Joshua. He writes about the long adventure of his family's migration from Missouri to Oregon which entailed wagons and months of traveling by oxen to their final destination.

Joshua is a likeable boy who writes about the tragedies that occur over their long travel. The Oregon Trail was not an easy migration. People died from illness, accidents, and from the travels. From his perspective, he tries to keep an open mind about the Native American population who were probably threatened by the whites' migration into the western territories.

I think the story could have been better with regards to Joshua's story-telling. I felt that he was holding back and you don't do that in an actual diary. Anway, the book is an okay read.
3583766
This is definitely a boy's kind of book.  Annoying sister, ineffectual mother, adventure and pirates and a strong father figure.  Sadly, I read this to my 9 year old daughter and we both couldn't enjoy it since the female characters were either nasty or milquetoast.  That was especially frustrating considering the secrets behind the main character's mother.  It gets worse in further novels.

I rate it four stars for being solidly written and the beautiful illustrations.  But I really have to wonder what the author has against the female gender.
370149
The story is of a self-reliant family who manages to make the best from the situation when they are ship-wrecked on a South-Pacific island.  But the story is less about overcoming true adversity and more about the family cleverly utilizing the implausible wealth of artifacts, flora, and fauna that they manage to find in one location.  No challenge or inconvenience arises that cannot be solved by some hard work and another miraculously convenient find.  Furthermore, even in the surprisingly abundant surroundings of the family, it seems impossible that they'd have enough time and energy to truly accomplish so many feats to maintain their high standard of living in these difficult surroundings.

I was also disappointed by the additions by another author later in the book.  After the initial writing, many others added their own versions of the family's continuing adventures and those from Isabelle de Montolieu are contained in this edition.  Her additions contradicted some events earlier written about by Wyss and I found them less interesting.

Still, to a boy (as I was when I first read this long ago), the adventure of being stranded on an island while being able to accomplish nearly anything was captivating.  It reminds me games I'd play with my friends as a lad.  Not a terribly realistic adventure, but a fun one nonetheless.
4975122
This is not a book about sailing, is a vivid narrative on the adventures of a young man in search of himself.
Anthropology, sociology and psicology mixed in a well-witten story. Not for sailors ... for everibody.
2392014
I didn't really enjoy this book because I think it's a little bit draggy.  It has a simple storyline that would make a great adventure but there were too many unnecessary information in it.  For one, there were many description of how the brothers Chris, 14 and Michael, 12 fall, bumped into each other/things, hurt & injured themselves while running away from the bad guys.  I really do not need to know them in details all over the book, it actually bring the excitement of the adventure a notch lower.

Michael though is a genius he is also a bully in school and in the neighbour, according to him its his way of protecting himself so the others will not single him out for being smart.  I'm not sure whether that is one of the reason why some kids become a bully.  Anyway, i got disturbed when I constantly read about the ways how the brothers keeps getting at each others throat or threaten to kill or punch the other one up.  I am worried that some kids will be doing the same in real life after reading the book.

The ending is a little bit weird and did not sit well with me, the boys & their dad had a foundation set up under their mum's name to fight against bullying.

However, I must say that the author did a great job in writing about all the technical stuffs like how a intrusion alarm works or parts to a taser gun.  With these information he has successfully portrayed Michael as a genuis who is too smart for his age.

I'll probably let the 11 years or over kids read this book due to the language and violence in this book.
4925149
I *love* it when I find a book that both genders can enjoy; it is so hard to keep boys of a certain age plugged in to reading!  This book has a fascinating story-line, and actual education is going on while the reader remains engrossed in the adventure.  More, please, Mr. Helgerson!  I loved it.
865714
This is a great story to read to a boy who is interested in adventure. And can benefit to learn about living in the forest alone. Also to learn about other cultures and how people who think, act and live differently from yourself can be more valuable than anything one can buy or own. A truly touching story.