Product Description

Longing to feel closer to his favorite grandfather, Oliver skips school on a sparkling September afternoon and hides out on a tired schooner. When he wakes up on the ways of his grandfather's boatyard and realizes he's been transported back to 1938, he must decide what to do before the dangerous hurricane he'd been studying in school hits. While the main character is a 12 year old boy, Oliver's story, and the story of a powerful weather event that still reverberates along the east coast, is more than appropriate for an adult audience. Written by a 2004 Olympian in sailing, this charming story includes 8 original illustrations, a glossary of nautical terms and a short history of the Great Hurricane of 1938 that devastated the eastern seaboard.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #591069 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 85 pages

Review
"For a kid smitten with the sea, an old schooner is the ideal vehicle for going back in time. Through young Oliver's eyes, Carol Newman Cronin offers a view of life along the 1930s Jamestown waterfront. Above all, Oliver's Surprise reminds us of the connectedness of family and friends through generations." --Cruising World

About the Author
Carol Newman Cronin crowned a lifetime of competitive achievement by winning two races for the USA at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. She has won numerous national and international sailing championships. Since retiring from Olympic sailing, Carol has focused on writing and graphic design from her home in Jamestown, RI.

Customer Reviews

Good read for all ages.
What a delightful short tale provided as Carol Newman Cronin's first
offering! The publisher has dubbed this "Young Adult/Fiction", but that
is really unfair. This story and writing style is accessible to and
appropriate for pre-teens, and the topic will also give pleasure to
"old school" post-boomers. For our younger children it will be a
revelation of what our world looked like about 70 years ago. For our
oldsters it is a reminder of what the world was like without television,
when manners prevailed, and when all t-shirts were white. I would
recommend this book for "all readers", and especially for those with
an interest in boats, the seaside, or the memorable past.

a treat
A gem of a story, carefully crafted with interesting details and an effective weaving of plot line and subtle invitation to study history.

Wonderful Tale of Nautical Adventure
Oliver's Surprise is a delightful read for kids and adults alike. Twelve-year-old Oliver, who lives on Dutch Island, slips away from school and boards the historical schooner, Surprise. There, he reminisces about the deceased grandfather he loved, who once owned a boatyard. When Oliver slips and hits his head during a fall in the boat's cabin, he drifts into the world of the past and meets his grandfather, who is also named Oliver; his grandmother, Nellie; the Surprise's Cap'n Eli; and a boy named Finn. Oliver learns what life was like during the days prior to the Great Hurricane of 1938; he also comes to know his grandfather as a young man and discovers why the Surprise was the only boat to survive the storm.

This story reminded me of both the Wizard of Oz and Back to the Future. I especially liked Oliver's relationships with his mother, who shares his love of boats and seems to be the anchor in his life, and his grandfather, for whom he has almost an adult admiration and affection. The book is especially appropriate for the classroom, as it contains terrific extras at the end of the story: a map of Jamestown, RI, a brief and informative piece entitled "About the Hurricane," and a glossary of nautical terms.