About This Book
Reach for this Newbery Medal winner when your teenager is wrestling with the complexities of peer pressure or the difficulty of maintaining integrity in a toxic environment. It is a sophisticated historical adventure that moves beyond typical pirate tropes to examine the heavy weight of moral accountability. After a series of misfortunes, young Philip Marsham finds himself trapped aboard a ship seized by a crew of ruthless outlaws, forcing him to navigate a treacherous path between survival and his own conscience. This story is ideal for older readers who appreciate gritty realism and seafaring history. It explores the reality of being orphaned and the 'wrong place, wrong time' circumstances that can lead a good person into bad company. While the 17th-century prose requires more focus than modern thrillers, the emotional payoff is significant. It serves as a powerful cautionary tale about the consequences of one's associations and the courage required to stand alone when the majority chooses the easy, albeit dark, path.
