Stowaway
Karen Hesse
Historical Fiction
Holiday
pg. 141
1. My book, Stowaway, is about a boy named Nick. He is a stowaway on the H.M.S. Endeavor, whose captain is James Cook, the man who discovered New Zealand. At first, Nick had to spend a few weeks hidden inside a smaller rowboat to make sure that they get far out enough to sea before he comes out, or else he would be dropped off and would have to fend for himself. Once they are far enough out, Nick finally emerges and makes immediate enemies with Mr. Bootie, who from then on tries to make his life as miserable as possible. Nick sails with Captain Cook down the coast of South America, around Cape Horn and up to what is now Hawaii, but was then called King George's Land, and the Natives called it OTahiti. All the while, Nick had to brave fierce storms and deaths, especially around Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego. In OTahiti, Nick makes a friend, a native named Tarheto, who ends up coming on the Endeavor because he is a servant to a native guide Captain Cook wanted to bring to help him navigate. From there, they sailed west in search of a new continent, and eventually found it. Where I left off, they were still exploring its shores and all the natives that inhabit it.
2. So far, this book has been O.K. I have not particularly liked it that much though. It has a diary-style format, with entries for each day. The story is still able to be told well enough, but I do not like the format too much. Also, it is quite boring when they are sailing. Nick is doing something random, Mr. Bootie is annoying him, Mr. Banks is studying creature that he has shot, and then a storm comes in and they all get scurvy. There is not much variety when they are at sea, and when they reached New Zealand, all they seemed to do was trade with Natives. Nothing very interesting has happened, and I do not think there will be a climax, and if there is, Hesse is not building up to it right now. This book would be a lot better if it had life-threatening danger, but if there is any danger, it is being downplayed.
3. A theme that I have noticed so far is friendship. Nick has a few sailor friends, and in fact, everyone on the ship is nice to Nick, except Mr. Bootie. But Nick's main friend is Tarheto, which he picked up in OTahiti. Without Tarheto, Nick would be very lonely, and they spend much of their time together. Tarheto is also almost like a son to his master, who is Cook's guide, and can speak the languages of the Natives from New Zealand. But it also about having people who are not friends, like Mr. Bootie. Here, the theme is saying that not everyone can be your friends, and those that are not, you have to deal with accordingly. For that person (Mr. Bootie), Nick just tries to stay away from him and try not to get him angry, which is something that everyone can learn from.
4. My favorite character is Nick. I like him because I like how after being abused by his school teacher, and then whipped by a butcher that he was apprenticing for, he finally took his life into his own hands, at the age of eleven, and became a stowaway on this ship. Also, for being eleven, he has not complained very much about his conditions. For this I admire him, for I hate complainers. Nick has changed much since he got on the Endeavor; before, he was almost a brat, he was running away from school and did not want to do anything, he did not appreciate very much all the things he did have. Now on the ship, he has to eat things that he would have never have eaten, just to stay alive, and this has changed him. He has now changed, he appreciates things more. In fact, if the main character did not change, then there would be no story to tell.
5. My least favorite character is Mr. Bootie. He is always trying to make Nick as miserable as possible. when Nick first came out from hiding, he accidentally bumped into Mr. Bootie. He has held a grudge every since, and has been unwilling to let it go. Every time he sees Nick, he sends him up in the rigging to do some sort of work. Also, whenever Nick does something good, and gets praised, Mr. Bootie is always in a foul mood. He is almost competing with Nick, to see who is the better sailor. Mr. Bootie is just annoyed with Nick, and is the kind of man to hold a grudge until he dies, and try to get his revenge whenever he can. He always has to make trouble for the main character, and that is always annoying to the reader too.
6. My prediction is that Nick and the Company will keep on sailing around New Zealand, and trade with Natives. After that, they will probably start to sail home, and Nick will have to confront his biggest fear, having to go back home to his father, who would be extremely angry to have his son run off for a number of years. Also, it seems that there has not been a lot of action or suspense, so someone may die, maybe even Tarheto. But in the end, Nick will probably come to terms with his father, and will willingly go back to school, with all the lessons of his voyage around the world int he back of his mind.
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