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Sea Cutter: Book I in The Chronicles of Nathaniel Childe
Rating:
( based on 7 reviews)
Published: July 14, 2011
Words: 23,293 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9780615513713
Short description
It’s 1771 and I’ve just gotten a secret message from Father who–all of New Bedford says–went down with his ship in 1769, when I was eleven. I know I promised my old friend Wayland not to put to sea without Mother’s permission, but what’s more important—keeping a promise or finding Father? First Place 2011 Independent Digital Awards Short YA Fiction.Extended description
It’s 1771 and I’ve just gotten a secret message from Father who–all of New Bedford says–went down with his ship in 1769, when I was eleven. I know I promised my old friend Wayland not to put to sea without Mother’s permission, but what’s more important—keeping a promise or finding Father? If you want to come with me, help me find a ship bound for the South Atlantic, and we’ll search together for a legendary island, and Father.But watch out for a smelly, slim, oily-looking sailor with a tattoo of a viper coiled around his arm. We’re going to leave him far behind…
Tags
pirates, children adventure, sea adventure sailboat, children ebook, children adventures, sea adventure, children 9 to 12, children book online, children 8 and upAvailable ebook reading formats
Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.| Format | Full Book | Sample First 25% |
|---|---|---|
| Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser) | Buy | View sample |
| Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps) | Buy | Download sample |
| Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others) | Buy | Download sample |
| PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing) | Buy | No sample available |
| RTF (readable on most word processors) | Buy | No sample available |
| LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub) | Buy | Download sample |
| Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices) | Buy | Download sample |
| Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting) | Buy | No sample available |
| Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page) | Buy | No sample available |
Reviews
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Review by:
Crystal Marcos
on Oct. 01, 2012 :
Timothy Davis managed to transport me right to the era and moment of his exciting seafaring tale. I am an avid reader of children's literature. I don't have much time to read lately however it was the cause of a couple of late nights. I just had to know happened next! Davis does a tremendous job building characters readers will love and love to loathe. Fast paced and full of action it will certainly keep its readers interest. Notable and memorable it teaches a lesson on the importance of truth. This book isn't just for a child but for the child in all of us. I thoroughly enjoyed Sea Cutter and look forward to reading the sequel Red Stone.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Tish Metheny
on Dec. 21, 2011 :
I enjoyed Sea Cutter. It has storms at sea, mutinies, villains, secret islands--what's not to like? The story is easy to read and fast-moving and is well-suited for younger readers. This is a swashbuckling story whose main character learns some important lessons amidst all the excitement he encounters.
The only thing I would change is I wish the author had delved a bit deeper into the emotions of the main character and the descriptions of both his surroundings and the action scenes. However, I'm an adult and while I might prefer more depth, it might make the book slower for younger readers.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Erik The Great
on Nov. 27, 2011 :
Two years after Nathaniel’s father died in a shipwreck, a package arrived from him. There was a mysterious treasure inside and a note from Nat’s father which made Nat believe, even more, that his father did not die! The letter and the treasure were clues about where to find his father, but how could a fourteen year-old boy navigate the seas alone, especially when no one in the village believes his father survived. Nat tricks a family friend (Wayland) into sailing his ship, the Sea Cutter, into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in hopes of finding his father. Unfortunately an evil stowaway sneaks onto the Sea Cutter and uses Nat to hatch his own plan of getting what he wants. Can Nat and Wayland survive the stormy ocean, a whale attack, starvation, Nat deceiving Wayland and the murderous stowaway hidden on board?
Sea Cutter is the first ebook in the Chronicles of Nathaniel Childe. Mr. Davis’ second ebook in the series is titled “Red Stone” and I already have my copy and am looking forward to reading it! Mr. Davis says on his website that he is currently writing a third ebook in the series. Sea Cutter is a historical adventure book and I tend to really like a book like that. This book was VERY thrilling! I think the book would be good for readers aged 9+. There were some tense moments and fighting but nothing that is inappropriate for kids. There were a couple of parts in the book that were predictable but there were also some great surprises to the plot too. My favorite character is Paulo, an orphan that Wayland and Nat meet along their journey. Paulo is kind and an experienced sailor. I really didn’t like how Nat was lying all the time, it made me not like him as much as I would have liked to. This is a book that gets you right into the action from the beginning (and there is A LOT of action)!
I really went back and forth with my rating for this book between four and five. I am giving it a five because it is just a great adventure story, it really kept me reading it and I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I hope Nat is a bit more likeable in that book.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Candle Star Press
on Nov. 18, 2011 :
“He’s not dead!”
“Please Nathaniel. It’s been two years. He’s not coming back,” my mother begged.
“How can you give up on him?” I yelled.
Nat’s heart tells him his father survived the shipwreck. But where is he? Why has he left Nat and his mother to a pauper’s existence in New Bedford? Then Nat receives a package from his father, one that had been stolen and delivered years late. One containing treasure. The accompanying letter indicates that his father may be alive on an island in the Atlantic, but none of the sea dogs in New Bedford’s harbor believe in the island’s existence. None of them but the one with hard, snakelike eyes…
Nat eventually persuades an old family friend to make the voyage, but he accomplishes it with deceit. As they sail, Nat’s dishonesty grows and broadens, finally enmeshing him in a murderous scheme. How did a simple lie grow so monstrous? Will it cost him the very things he holds most dear?
Sea Cutter is a cleanly-written adventure with lots of positives. It celebrates truth, family, friendship, honor and forgiveness, and it does so with a LOT of excitement. Mr. Davis has, in particular, a flair for creating danger. He’s a master of foreshadowing, and each chapter ending leaves Nat in impossible scrapes. The tale twists and turns in some unexpected directions, but some well-planted clues help us guess at others. Boys especially will eat up the exploits of this swashbuckling, brave young hero.
Mr. Davis has excellent writer’s instincts. Many of his passages are brilliantly-written. Other areas feel a bit rough. But do I think kids will notice as they’re busy dodging sword blades and escaping the locked holds of a ship? No, I don’t. (Originally posted within a week of purchase.)
***Since writing this review, parts of Sea Cutter have been revised. I downloaded the new version to read aloud to my boys and I couldn’t find any trace of the rough areas I once bemoaned. In fact, I was struck again by sections of absolutely beautiful prose. On this basis, I had to resubmit this review and up my recommendation!
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Candle Star Press
on Nov. 18, 2011 :
“He’s not dead!”
“Please Nathaniel. It's been two years. He's not coming back,” my mother begged.
“How can you give up on him?” I yelled.
Nat’s heart tells him his father survived the shipwreck. But where is he? Why has he left Nat and his mother to a pauper’s existence in New Bedford? Then Nat receives a package from his father, one that had been stolen and delivered years late. One containing treasure. The accompanying letter indicates that his father may be alive on an island in the Atlantic, but none of the sea dogs in New Bedford’s harbor believe in the island’s existence. None of them but the one with hard, snakelike eyes...
Nat eventually persuades an old family friend to make the voyage, but he accomplishes it with deceit. As they sail, Nat’s dishonesty grows and broadens, finally enmeshing him in a murderous scheme. How did a simply lie grow so monstrous? Will it cost him the very things he holds most dear?
Sea Cutter is a cleanly-written adventure with lots of positives. It celebrates truth, family, friendship, honor and forgiveness, and it does so with a LOT of excitement. Mr. Davis has, in particular, a flair for creating danger. He’s a master of foreshadowing, and each chapter ending leaves Nat in impossible scrapes. The tale twists and turns in some unexpected directions, but some well-planted clues help us guess at others. Boys especially will eat up the exploits of this swashbuckling, brave young hero.
Mr. Davis has excellent writer’s instincts. Many of his passages are brilliantly-written. Other areas feel a bit rough. But do I think kids will notice as they’re busy dodging sword blades and escaping the locked holds of a ship? No, I don’t. (Originally reviewed within a week of purchase.)
***Since writing this review, parts of Sea Cutter have been revised. I downloaded the new version to read aloud to my boys and I couldn't find any trace of the rough areas I once bemoaned. In fact, I was struck again by sections of absolutely beautiful prose. On this basis, I had to resubmit this review and up my recommendation!
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
E L Russell
on Sep. 27, 2011 :
I am writing this review on behalf of my grandchildren. I downloaded Sea Cutter: Book I in the Chronicles of Nathaniel Childe on my iPad and let the boys take turns reading it while we babysat. The boys are 9 and 12 years old. I wanted to have them write the review on their own but they thought that was too much like school. I was able to get a ‘high-five’ from the 9-year old who claims that’s the same as 5-stars. The older, more sophisticated 12-year-old grandson gave it a ‘thumbs-up’. I was able to learn from his younger brother that ‘thumbs-up’ was a cooler way of giving a ‘high-five’.
I had some thoughts on this and felt that since the iPad is loaded with distracting games and my wife and I observed the boys reading the book it would be okay to report on their reactions. However, when the request to babysit this weekend came with a question, “Tell pop-pop to let us read Book II.”
That’s the endorsement I wish I had for my work.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Paul Swearingen
on Aug. 13, 2011 :
The plot of this story of a young boy at sea never slows; Timothy Davis has re-crafted a tale that is sure to please pre-teens and those slightly older. Intrigue, deceit, threats, treasure, and an isolated paradise are all combined in a manner reminiscent of both Nordhoff and Hall's and Isabel Allende's coming-of-age stories. The characters are unique, even the villains, and the ending of the story is indeed a cliffhanger - literally.
(reviewed the day of purchase)