Stranded at Plimoth Plantation 1626 - Softcover

Bowen, Gary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0064407195 ISBN 13: 9780064407199

Publisher: HarperTrophy, 1998

Synopsis

The Sparrowhawk's crew set sail October 12 from London in hopes of reaching Jamestown, Virginia. On November 6 our ship crashed in fog on what the captain told us was a New England shore.

So begins the journal of thirteen-year –old indentured servant Christopher Sears. Rescued by Indians, Chirstopher anf the crew are taken to Plimoth Plantation. There, the young boy finds a place for himself and begins detailing his life with the Pilgrims'the births, deaths, marriages, and the important role that the Indians play in the settlers' lives. When a ship arrives nearly a year later to take the stranded passengers to Jamestown. Christopher finds he doesn't want to leave. But he is still indentured to Captain Sibsey, who won't set him free. Can his new friends help him? Or will he be forced to leave the community that has given him a home?

Careful research from historical accounts makes this an exciting story of one boy's coming of age as well as an informative reconstruction of the Pilgrims' daily life.

"In this beautifully illustrated work, Bowen provides a well-researched, fictional diary of a young Plimoth settler named Christopher Sears, who documents the trials and tribulations of the year 1626. His diary is decorated with woodcuts...rich, powerful images inked with colors suitable to the time."—BL. "An enthralling account...Bowen's reputation rests secure as the crafter of scrupulously researched, beautifully illustrated stories."—K.

Notable Children's Trade Book in Social Studies for 1995 (NCSS/CBC)
1994 "Pick of the Lists" (ABA)
1995 Children's Information Book Award (IRA)
1995 Teachers' Choices (IRA)
Best Children's Book of 1994 (Parenting)
Children's Books of 1994 (NY Public Library)

100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1994 (NY Public Library)

About this title

About the Author:

Gary Bowen is the author-illustrator of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book My Village, Sturbridge and the award-winning Stranded at Plimoth Plantation 1626. His work has been exhibited by the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri/Lorimier Gallery in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He lives in Sudbury, Vermont.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-6-When the good ship Sparrowhawk is wrecked near Plymouth in 1626, a 13-year-old indentured orphan passenger is lodged with Elder William Brewster's family until his journey to Jamestown can continue. This is Christopher Sears's account of his stay there, written in journal form in comfortably large print and liberally illustrated with handsome colored woodcuts. His entries offer brief yet penetrating glimpses of Pilgrim life and his own hopes and fears, and his conversational narrative provides easily absorbed information on early American food, housing, religion, clothing, family life, and the local Indians. The strict Puritans of stocks and eight-hour Sabbath services are here, as are the fun-loving, dancing and drinking Pilgrims and "Strangers" of the colony. The youthful voice and observations, in language that is a remarkable blend of clarity and period flavor, provide a more intimate and involving picture of the period than more straightforward factual accounts. However, while there are many facts here-indeed, young readers might mistakenly assume that the journal itself is a historical document-there are no sources or notes. Bowen plays with the timing of at least one incident, and it would be interesting to know where any other liberties have been taken. Also, unfamiliar terms appear and their meanings are not always deducible from the context. Still and all, this is a lively, quality addition. Marcia Sewall's The Pilgrims of Plimoth (Atheneum, 1986) is more straightforward, is told in quainter language, and is illustrated with expressionistic paintings.
Nancy Palmer, The Little School, Bellevue, WA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperTrophy
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0064407195
• ISBN 13: 9780064407199
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 88
• Illustrator: Bowen Gary