



Black Duck
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4.2 • 14 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
It is spring 1929, and Prohibition is in full swing. So when Ruben and Jeddy find a dead body washed up on the shore of their small coastal Rhode Island town, they are sure it has something to do with smuggling liquor. Soon the boys, along with Jeddy’s strongwilled sister, Marina, are drawn in, suspected by rival bootlegging gangs of taking something crucial off the dead man. Then Ruben meets the daring captain of the Black Duck, the most elusive smuggling craft of them all, and it isn’t long before he’s caught in a war between two of the most dangerous prohibition gangs.
"Riveting mystery and nonstop adventure." --School Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The title of Lisle's (The Art of Keeping Cool) suspenseful novel refers to a rumrunner one of the boats used during Prohibition to smuggle outlawed liquor into the U.S. Readers will likely look past the awkward frame story a contemporary student interviews Ruben Hart, who was a child during Prohibition as they sink deeper into Ruben's story. In the spring of 1929, while Ruben and his friend Jeddy look for lobster pots, they come across a man's body washed up on the beach, elegantly dressed, with a bullet hole through his neck. They go back to report it, but when the police arrive, the body has vanished. The situation grows complicated: Jeddy's father is chief of police, Ruben's father works for general store owner Mr. Riley, whom Ruben suspects may be involved in the bootlegging, and an old fisherman living in a seaside shack is roughed up as some men come looking for a mysterious "ticket." Much is at stake, as many locals supplement their livelihood by unloading the rumrunners, and townsfolk suspect there is a traitor in their midst. This is a gripping tale of families and friendships stretched to the breaking point as the community around Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay is caught in the escalating conflict between rival gangs. Faux reproductions of period articles anchor the narrative and move the story along. Even though readers know from the get-go that the Black Duck will come to no good, they will eagerly turn the pages to find out how. Ages 10-up.
Customer Reviews
Black Duck
I've read this book twice in 4 different schools! Which means I've read it 8 times!!! And I learned that this book is pretty famous! It was super confusing for me when I read it the first time and I decided to never read it but in my other school we had to read it again and after reading it the second time I started understanding little by little and then reading it the third and fourth time I started loving it! But now I forgot a bit of it lol but I thought it was pretty interesting when I read it the third time! After reading it the eighth time I knew it's one of my favorite books now 👍 but I also learned that if we don't understand something the first time, try doing it again and again until u get it and if u still don't get it then just move on 😊 Cuz you have no other option! But you'll love it if u pay attention or read it deeply !! So good luck to everyone reading it out there!