Dangerous Waters
An Adventure on the Titanic
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A stowaway, a stolen book, a murderous villain: an adventure on the most famous shipwreck in history.
The great ocean liner Titanic is preparing to cross the Atlantic. On board is a sinister thief bent on stealing a rare book that may be the key to unlocking infinite treasure, a wealthy academic traveling home to America with his rare book collection, and Patrick Waters, a twelve-year-old Irish boy who is certain that his job as a steward on the unsinkable ship will be the adventure of a lifetime. In Dangerous Waters, disguises, capers, and danger abound as the ship makes its way toward that fateful iceberg where Patrick will have to summon all his wits in order to survive.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This caper initially seems at odds with its doomed setting, yet Mone quickly entices readers with criminal intrigue, characters who range from eccentric to entirely ordinary, and, of course, the singular setting that is the Titanic. Among the more ordinary characters are Patrick and James Waters, Belfast brothers who work on board, burly James as a boiler room trimmer and bookish Patrick as a steward. Patrick, 12, becomes embroiled in a tug-of-war between Harry Widener (of Harvard library fame), a collector of rare books, and Rockwell and Berryman, two rogues determined to nab Widener's prized copy of Sir Francis Bacon's Essaies. While Rockwell and Berryman's attempts at thievery lend a comedic note (Berryman dons ridiculous disguises, while pretentious Rockwell eats incessantly and praises his accomplice's "delightfully malleable" morals), the bond between Patrick and Widener gives the story heart. Mone displays solid knowledge of the facts: there are numerous real-life cameos on the ship, and his descriptions of shipboard life, the Titanic's sinking, and the survivors' rescue are impressively vivid. Ages 9 12.