Product Description

During almost four years at sea with her whaling captain father, thirteen-year-old Rebecca finds life both boring and difficult--especially when the ship is nearly sunk by a hurricane.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #627716 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 169 pages

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-7-An absorbing piece of historical fiction. The story is set on a petticoat whaler (a ship on which the captain brings his wife and family) in 1844, and readers will quickly be caught up in the rugged onboard life. The story follows Rebecca Whittier, the captain's daughter, and John Lowe, a boy indentured to Captain Whittier. More than halfway through the book, a storm hits and it's a corker. The captain tries valiantly to keep his ship afloat but at last has to concede to the power of nature. Fate contrives to have John and Rebecca stuck high in the rigging when the captain calls to abandon ship, and the youngsters not only weather the end of the hurricane but save the ship's cargo as well. And all the dories bearing the crew return for a happy ending. The sailors' fear as they pursue the leviathan in small boats is not glossed over. Neither is the death of the animal, which is realistic without being too gory. The preparation of the whale's carcass is clearly described, right down to the stink of the try-pots. The whale sighting, chase, and kill are deftly handled, but the storm seems anticlimactic after all of the time spent on the whaling adventure. Still, this is a rip-roaring page-turner that readers will enjoy.-Randi Hacker, Montgomery Elementary School, VT

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

This book was great!!
I have read the book of SURVIVAL! HURRICANE.
I thought that it was the BEST survival book that I have read in a long time. This is such a good book that I couldn't put it down once I started it. After I read the first few pages I was into it right away. That was when I became a good fan of the survival books. Kathleen Duey and K. A. Bale are one of the best adventure writers that I have read about.

A good Survival book!
This story is about Rebecca Whittier, the daughter of the captain of the Vigilance-a whaling boat hunting for whales in 1844. Rebecca wishes she was back home in New Bedford, with her friend and cousin. John Lowe is a free African American about Rebecca's age. John was indentured by his father to work on the Vigilance, but John hates the work. When a sudden hurricane hits the Vigilance and the lifeboats leave without them, Rebecca and John must help each other to survive the violent winds and waves. I think the other Survival books were better than this one. They spent too much time describing the whaling process and not enough time during the hurricane. It was still a better-than-average book, though.

My favorite Survival! book.
Rebecca Whittier's father is the captain of the Vigilance, a whaling ship that sails all over the world in hunt of whales. On this particular voyage, Rebecca, her mother, and her younger brother, Joseph, have accompanied Captain Whittier. Eleven-year-old Joseph enjoys the voyage, but for thirteen-year-old Rebecca, it's been four long years of loneliness and boredom. She misses her friends in New Bedford and longs for the voyage to end. John Lowe, who is about Rebecca's age, was indentured by his father to living quarters dirty and cramped, and the work difficult. He, too, wishes the voyage to end so he can be back home. When the Vigilance is trapped in a hurricane and may sink, Rebecca and John find their lives in peril. They must help each other survive and save the ship. I loved this book