Son of Fortune

Starred review from September 15, 2013
Aiden's story takes up where it left off in The Devil's Paintbox (2009), with Aiden heading toward Seattle as he leaves the Northwest lumber country in the late 1860s. Nearly a man at 16, his journey becomes inextricably woven into those of two other young men. They are as unlike Aiden as they are each other, yet all want to make their fortunes. Fish is the son of a Swedish captain plying the coastal waters between Seattle and San Francisco, and Christopher Worthington, wealthy and bored, is the son of an influential financier. Together, they embark on a scheme to import guano from Peruvian mines, which involves them in a tangle of ethical quandaries that arise naturally from realistically depicted 19th-century conditions. As capable as he is impetuous, Aiden's essential goodness is never in doubt, but he does wrong, gradually learning to take responsibility for his actions and choices; he must struggle with his own prejudices and rise above them. The powerful narrative asks Aiden and readers to consider what may constitute slavery without actually using that label and the consequences of exploiting that servitude. A hint of romance blossoms into much more without detracting from these serious questions or slackening the brisk pace. Aiden's dilemmas are rooted in the time and yet move beyond it, creating a glimpse into the past that is relevant today. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

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December 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-In this sequel to The Devil's Paintbox (Knopf, 2009), 16-year-old Aiden's adventures continue as he flees the rough lumber camps of the Pacific Northwest to seek a new life in 1860s San Francisco. The action-packed novel opens with Aiden saving a young Swedish sailor from a shark attack and he befriends Christopher, the son of a wealthy businessman. When he wins a ship in a fateful card game, Aiden and his friends journey as business partners to an island off the coast of Peru for a shipment of guano, highly valuable bird droppings used as fertilizer. They discover the slave operation upon which the guano trade is built, and Aiden is morally torn between leaving immediately or making a fortune at the expense of others. Descriptions of the sailing life and the ecology of the island are particularly vivid and sometimes brutal. Add to the mix the story of a kidnapped Chinese nobleman, a tsunami, a stowaway, a murder, and an illicit interracial romance and you've got a gripping historical novel bordering on soap opera. It's easy to forget Aiden is a teenager as he intelligently grapples with one adult dilemma after another. He's a likable survivor, and teens craving a gritty saga with a hint of romance will not be disappointed.-Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2013
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* This sequel to The Devil's Paintbox (2009) finds impecunious 16-year-old Aiden in postCivil War San Francisco, where he is befriended by wealthy Christopher Worthington. When Aiden wins a ship in a card game, he finds himself in partnership with Christopher. Their aim is to import guano (bird fecal matter) for use as fertilizer. With their Swedish sailor friend, Fish, as captain, Aiden and Christopher set sail for Peru, where they hope to acquire the product from a mine there. They find the mine as planned, but they also find unspeakably horrible conditions for the Chinese laborers, conditions that will test Aiden's ethical and moral strength when he meets one of the workers and is challenged to help him. But how? To do so would be considered a crime. What level of hell is this? a conflicted Aiden wonders. McKernan's beautifully, empathetically written novel, which addresses that question, is a rare sequel: a book better than its predecessor. Indeed, Son of Fortune is an altogether outstanding historical novel that sheds light on a little-known aspect of history with contemporary relevancethe exploitation of humans by other humans, of sacrificing human beings for profit. If this sounds didactic, it is not. To McKernan's credit, her book's large, haunting theme is dramatically presented, while its characters, especially Aiden, are fully realized andlike the story in which they figureultimately unforgettable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)