Bill O'Brien (1)Reseñas

This is a read for boys who enjoy books about survival. The story tells of a young boy, Sam Clark whose parents have died and he goes in search of his older brother Joseph who is at sea. Sam is 14 when he signs on as a cabin boy aboard a vessel bound for Sydney.
The barque Dundonald founders and sinks off Disappointment Island in the southern ocean. Fifteen survivors endure a harsh winter on this remote island until their rescue in late November, 6 March 2007 marks 100 years since the wreck of the Dundonald and this incredible story of survival. The book tells of how the men survived by eating mollymawks and seals. Although Sam is a fictional character, the other survivors are all based on the real people.
Sam survives the At the back of the book there are photographs that show the hardships they endured. A very good read that leads you to research.

Samuel, the keeper of this diary, is 13 when he signs on as a cabin boy aboard a vessel bound for Sydney. The barque Dundonald founders and sinks off Disappointment Island (part of the Auckland Islands group) in the ocean south of New Zealand on 6 March 1907. Fifteen survivors endure a harsh winter on this remote island until their rescue in late November that year. Samuel Clark is a fictional character, however the other survivors are all based on the real people. Previously published as Castaway : The Diary of Samuel Abraham Clark (My Story series). www.wheelers.com.nz

Based on an amazing true story, Samuel is based on a boy who survived the shipwreck for nearly a year on the remote islands.

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

This book is part of the My Story series which retell the stories of historical events in the form of a diary. After the death of his parents, Sam decides to make his way to England to try and find his brother. Unfortunately the sailing ship he is on is shipwrecked on Disappointment Island and the majority of the book is the story of the group’s efforts to survive on a cold, wet and usually rainy island with nothing to eat but seals and seabirds.
Despite the monotony of their existence on Disappointment Island this was an engaging book to read with lots of interesting information woven into the story.
Recommended for readers aged 10 and up.

Fragile cargo is a fast-paced action adventure about the smuggling of endangered species.
Two teenage friends, Ricky and Duncan, are crewing Ricky's yacht together, going along the coast as part of a regatta. They come across a rusty old launch lying at anchor when they pull into a secluded cove for the night.
They become alarmed when they hear piercing screams emanating from the launch. When they board the vessel they discover crates full of live animals and birds living in appalling, cramped and filthy, conditions. They realize that they have stumbled across a smuggling operation. Many of the animals are rare or endangered species. They also find a note with a rendezvous time and place and are just about to leave when they are discovered by two men who are furious at their presence.
The boys are frightened but Ricky insists that they have only just boarded the launch and have seen nothing. The boys are allowed to go back to their own boat and finally get to sleep. They wake to find themselves adrift in huge swells in the open sea, in a channel with a large cargo ship bearing down on them. It is a narrow escape due to some quick thinking and good sailing.
Shaken, they continue to their destination, which is also the place mentioned in the smuggler's note. They become determined to do something to stop the smugglers.
They meet up with some local teenagers and devise strategies and show initiative in their plan to save the animals and make the smugglers pay.½