Teresa Vasconcelos Vasconcelos itibaren Miranda SA, Australia itibaren Miranda SA, Australia

Jake Mallery is a young teenager living on the Conecticut coastline when the War for Independence breaks out. The middle son of a stern farmer, he is a bit of a cut-up, earning the nickname "Mal" -- French for "bad". Although staunchly in the Patriot camp and a great admirer of New Haven's own Benedict Arnold (before his treasonous betrayal), he has no real desire to go to war. But when the British attack the shoreline towns around New Haven, Jake is forced to fight -- and ends up on a prison ship in Brooklyn Harbor. The horrors he faces on board are vividly portrayed -- the bug-infested rations, the never-ending cycle of illness, the burying of the dead, the cruelty of men toward those they deem "the enemy". Pat Raccio Hughes doesn't hold back and her depiction of Jake's suffering makes this an intense read more sutiable for middle schoolers and high schoolers. And Jake's gradual realization that Loyalists have also suffered in the war feels totally real, despite his ordeal. A romance with an indentured servant in his best friend's house broadens the appeal of this excellent historical novel.