Cast Off

April 6, 2015
Set in 1663, Yohalem’s seafaring adventure is saturated with action and historical detail. Twelve-year-old Petra De Winter escapes her abusive father in Amsterdam by stowing away on the Golden Lion, which is sailing for Batavia (now Jakarta) and carrying more than 300 passengers, as well as the Dutch East India Company’s payroll. Petra is quickly discovered by Bram Broen, the illegitimate half-Dutch, half-Javanese son of the ship’s carpenter, and he risks his future by hiding her in the hold, smuggling her food, and disguising her as a boy. Despite her privileged background, Petra is a hard worker, and she covertly completes Bram’s chores, impressing Captain De Ridder, who has the power to get Bram a certificate of legitimacy as a Dutch citizen. As the ship faces illness, pirates, mutiny, and other hazards, Yohalem (Escape Under the Forever Sky) explores the limited options for women and minorities through Bram and Petra’s first-person narratives. Vibrant descriptions and sometimes gruesome imagery make for an absorbing, informative read. An author’s note details Yohalem’s extensive research, as well as the nonfictional underpinnings of her story. Ages 10–up. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown.

March 15, 2015
Find out what happens when two 12-year-olds from vastly different worlds are thrown together in a high-seas adventure packed with action, secrets, and intrigue. The year is 1663. The place, Amsterdam. When her abusive father almost stabs her with a red-hot poker, Petra De Winter flees and stows away on a merchant ship bound for the East Indies. Bram Broen, the illegitimate, half-Dutch/half-Javanese son of the ship's carpenter, finds her hiding place and agrees to help Petra disguise herself as a boy and keep her hidden in exchange for help with chores. The stakes are high, as Petra lives in constant fear of discovery (stowaways are often executed), and Bram risks the only family he's ever known to help her. Halfway through the journey, Petra foolishly (or perhaps cannily) reveals herself to help the ship's doctor save a grievously injured crew member. Now out in the open, Petra roams freely and becomes indispensable as the doctor's assistant. But their troubles don't end there. Yohalem throws a lot at them: superstitious crew members (a girl onboard is bad luck), a pirate attack, devastating illness, and mutiny-the friends must overcome very dire straits indeed. The story brims with luscious detail (urine shampoo and butt-brooms and more), the product of copious and enthusiastic research, engagingly summarized in an author's note. This novel has all the required elements to appeal to zealous historical-adventure buffs. (map) (Historical fiction. 9-14)

May 1, 2015

Gr 5-8-The year is 1663, and motherless 12-year-old Petra escapes her once well-to-do abusive alcoholic father by stowing away on a merchant ship bound for the East Indies from her home in Amsterdam. She is discovered and befriended by Bram, an illegitimate boy of mixed-race heritage whose mother was Javanese and whose father was a Dutch sailor. Petra secretly assists Bram with his daily tasks such as weaving rope, making repairs, and organizing supplies. The boy is hoping that if he works hard, the ship's captain will sign papers that make him a "legal son" and that will allow him to set foot on European land. The story is told in alternating points of view from each of these unique perspectives. Disguised as a boy, Petra eventually boldly exposes herself to the crew, using her sewing skills to assist with an emergency surgery. After being keelhauled as punishment for being onboard, Petra continues to work alongside the ship's doctor. Yohalem's thorough research, authentic nautical jargon, and sailors' dialect brings this riveting tale to life. Likable characters and rich historical detail from daily food and drink to the elaborate hierarchy of the ship's crew to how to use a "butt-broom" make this a believable tale. Adventures abound as Petra and Bram struggle through raging storms, rollicking battles with pirates, and deadly bouts of disease. Plots of mutiny heighten tensions and divide loyalties, and Bram and Petra are both dangerously caught in the middle, fighting for survival and a place to call home. VERDICT Pair this book with Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (1990) or Karen Hesse's Stowaway (2001, both Scholastic). A thoroughly satisfying high seas adventure.-Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2015
Grades 5-8 Becoming a stowaway isn't Petra DeWinter's first choice for escaping her father's abuse, but hiding on a ship bound for the Dutch East Indies seems to be her only option. The problem is that it's 1663, she is 12, and she is a girl. If discovered, she could be thrown overboard to either drown or be shark food, or she could be sent home as soon as the ship makes land. When Bram Broen, a mestizo boy aboard the ship, stumbles upon Petra, she agrees to help him with his chores in exchange for keeping her presence a secret. Things go well for both until tensions aboard the ship reach fever pitch and the lives of crew members are at stake. The tweens are forced to make tough decisions about loyalty, friendship, and survival. Pirates, illness, mutiny, and storms on the high seas are the backdrop of an adventure that will have readers alternately breathless and cheering. Perfect for those who loved The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (1990).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)