Product Description

The discovery of an unknown cousin is significant for anyone, but for Emmet, it's life-changing. For within moments of meeting Captain Francis Drake, Emmet is invited to be his cousin's servant aboard the Pelican on a glorious trading expedition to exotic Alexandria, Tripoli, and Constantinople. It is a chance to go on a great voyage and to escape the angry mobs who now threaten him and his home. Emmet accepts.

At sea Captain Drake's sailors become restless and angry -- animals who sniff out fear. Emmet witnesses death upon bloody death of those who are civil and kind, and sees innocent people of peace cut to shreds by men who seemed good. He realizes he must pick his friends carefully and rely on none. As the journey continues and Drake's crew pursues the fabled SilverShip, Emmet comes to see how a taste of wealth can turn men into monsters.

Award-winning author Laurie Lawlor sweeps us aboard ship with Captain Drake as we follow Emmet on an increasingly desperate journey of self-discovery while at sea with a motley crew of gold-thirsty men.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2123668 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up–As an orphan raised by a monk, 15-year-old Emmet can read Latin and Greek, and is a very bright, if sheltered, teen. When Father Parfoothe dies, he wonders what will become of him. His question is answered by a surprise visit from an unknown cousin, a man named Francis Drake, who offers Emmet a place as a page on his ship. Emmet's life aboard the Pelican is extremely hard. He is small and ignorant of the ways of seafaring life, and has a difficult time adjusting to this strange, rough world. Captain Drake is a harsh taskmaster, and it isn't long before Emmet realizes that he is sailing with pirates and begins to think of a way to escape. Lawlor's novel is very different from most pirate stories, as Emmet sees nothing adventurous or glorious about this life. The tone is dark and grim, and there are scenes that might horrify younger readers. Sailor lingo and Spanish terms are sprinkled throughout with no help from a glossary. But the story is authentic and harrowing, and the historical details are well done. This book would be perfect for older teens who love historical fiction, or want more on pirates.–Anna M. Nelson, Collier County Public Library, Naples, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. At 15, Emmet Drake is essentially shanghaied by his elder cousin, Francis Drake, to serve as page aboard the Pelican, later renamed the Golden Hind. he expedition, billed as a trading trip, stretches into more than a year of wretched deprivation, piracy, and violent clashes with New World peoples as the unscrupulous, ambitious Francis pushes forward to achieve his goal of "girdling the globe." Lawlor's obviously exhaustive research comes through in the precise documentation of the stops along the way, in the colorful nautical slang, and in two comprehensive endnotes and an archival map of Drake's route. Unfortunately, the emotional conflicts given to Emmet (particularly his dismay over becoming "no better than the worst pirate") seem patched on. But the close-range view of a historical icon "as bold and daring as Satan himself" will appeal to readers who have studied the explorer, and the stark portrayal of his legendary journey encourages reflection on the human toll behind the achievements touted in history books. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Authentic and harrowing." -- School Library Journal

"Full of adventure and lively detail." -- Kirkus Reviews

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
DEAD RECKONING is a journey into the real pirate lifestyle. Based on the true story of Sir Francis Drake, an English pirate from the sixteenth century, this is the tale of life aboard a pirate ship from the eyes of Emmet, Drake's young cousin who serves as his page. Laurie Lawlor incorporates her research effortlessly into the novel, creating a thrilling yet realistic adventure story.

Emmet begins the story as an innocent young boy, the apprentice to Father Parfoothe, the village priest. When Father Parfoothe dies, suddenly Emmet's skills of reading Latin and playing the lute aren't quite as useful as before. Just in time to save Emmet from the villagers who have turned on him is his cousin, Captain Francis Drake. Drake invites Emmet to join him in a maritime voyage as his servant. Young Emmet has no choice but to accept.

Life at sea is beyond anything Emmet could have imagined. The crew doesn't seem to know where they are headed, and it isn't long before Emmet realizes that he is sailing on a pirate ship! Soon, Emmet is as caught up in the greedy pursuit of treasure and glory as the rest of the crew. Emmet is forced to grow up quickly as he sees firsthand the low regard for human life that pirates have. He learns the hard way that wealth is power, and power corrupts.

In the end, all he wants is to escape from the life he is now trapped in, and to be a free man once more. With this darker pirate tale, Laurie Lawlor proves that the life of a pirate really isn't as glamorous and lighthearted as Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean would lead you to believe.

Reviewed by: Amber Gibson