Captain Kate - Softcover

Reeder, Carolyn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0380796686 ISBN 13: 9780380796687

Publisher: Avon Camelot, 2000

Synopsis

Determined to take her father's coal-carrying barge on the C & O Canal from Cumberland, Maryland, to Georgetown in D.C., twelve-year-old Kate learns hurtful truths about herself

About this title

About the Author

Carolyn Reeder is an avid history buff with a longtime interest in the civil war. Her other historical novels for young people include Grandpa's Mountain, Moonshiner's Son, Across the Lines, and the award-winning Shades of Gray, which was an ALA Notable Book and winner of the 1990 Scott O'Dell Award, the Child Study Association Award, and the Jefferson Cup Award, among other honors.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-A novel set during the Civil War. Kate, 12, is resentful of her new stepfather who is away fighting in the Union army and of his children, 12-year-old Seth and 9-year-old Julia. When she learns that her mother plans to rent out the family canal boat for the summer, Kate decides that she will take the vessel the 184 miles down the Cumberland & Ohio Canal. Knowing that she can't possibly make the trip alone and left with no other options, she pressures her stepbrother to go along with her and they leave without her mother's knowledge. Stubborn and fiercely independent, Kate adamantly designates herself captain of The Mary Ann and has little patience with good-natured, virtuous Seth. With quiet resolve, the boy teaches her empathy and, by the novel's end, she has newfound respect and admiration for him. During the journey, she comes to terms with her father's death and realizes that she must accept changes. Julia, Kate's mother, and her stepfather are minor characters who pale in comparison to the thoughtfully created characters of Kate and Seth. Taking place primarily on the canal, the story has plenty of action and detailed descriptions of boats and life along the waterway. Tension builds gradually and is released at exact moments. Fans of Reeder's other books, especially Shades of Gray (Macmillan, 1989), are sure to appreciate this new offering.
Shawn Brommer, Southern Tier Library System, Painted Post, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Avon Camelot
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0380796686
• ISBN 13: 9780380796687
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224