December 27, 2013

Dangerous Waters - by Gregory Mone

This is not the Titanic story you're expecting, except for one thing:  Not to spoil anything, but THE SHIP SINKS.

What is this story?  It is the tale of young Patrick Waters, an Irish lad whose brother just landed a job as a coal man on the Titanic.  Due to remarkable circumstances, Patrick ends up on the ship as well, and that's where the adventure begins.

Meanwhile, a dangerous man can be found sneaking around London, trying to steal a very valuable book which contains a remarkable secret.  His search leads him onto Titanic, and before you know it, all of our main characters' lives are intertwined.

This is a thought-provoking book, but also an adventurous, fast-paced tale.  Patrick is an Everyman type of hero, and the bad guys are truly bad.  Violence, mystery, a bit of love, and of course... a shipwreck.  What more can you ask for?

One thing you could ask for is a little less fancy language, and more plain-speak.  As in his novel Fish, Mr. Mone can get carried away with his wording, making his books a bit more appropriate (or fully understandable) for teens than for younger middle-grade readers. While I appreciate an author who doesn't "dumb down" his writing, it does take away from his stories, but just a little.  All in all, this is a rousing adventure on the high seas, and I recommend it to anyone who's not afraid of a little iceberg.

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