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Sunday
March 21, 2010 Since 1922 |
Explore deserted island with ‘detectives'
By JoAn Martin
Baytown Sun Published April 4, 2004 Sumrall, Jerrye. “Intruders on Battleship Island.” Illustrated by Joan Betancourt. 1st Books. Bloomington, UN 2004. Paperback 166 pages. ISBN 1-4140-3297-8.
Jeff’s summer on the beach of Mullet Point is shaping up to be a disaster. He has almost failed fifth grade and his least favorite cousin, Stanley, is coming to spend six weeks. Stanley is an avid reader and loves spouting facts he has gleaned from his reading and his brainy vocabulary that keeps everyone asking, “Huh?”
The only bright spot for Jeff is that he has seen strange lights flickering on the deserted Battleship Island. His friends, Dan and Mike, want to go with him to investigate, but how will they get away from the obnoxious Stanley?
Jeff’s ploy is to send Stanley to the library to do research. While he is at the library, the three boys take a motorboat over to the island. They discover an old shack that has obviously been occupied recently. When a sudden thunderstorm blows in, their parents are so worried, they consider putting the island off- limits.
Stanley wants to join the boys in their detectives’ club, but they devise a difficult initiation test, hoping he won’t qualify. All four boys continue to place themselves in dangerous situations. Sumrall writes the scenes with the kind of suspenseful tension that will keep young readers turning the page.
Sumrall has contributed to the factual atmosphere of the book with historical notes. She gives the background for Admiral Farragut’s famous, ‘Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead.”
The island described is in the upper area of Mobile Bay and figured prominently in Civil War battles. The boys discover worn and frayed journals hidden in a trunk in the old shack.
Sumrall quotes from authentic passages taken from the diaries of two officers who fought in the Battle of Mabile Bay. She offers Web sites for young readers to allow them to access actual events.
Rarely does an author of children’s books use both secondary and primary sources to confirm reliable information. In her historical fiction, she has wedded factual content to imagination and written a fast read.
Joan Betancourt’s cover for the book is haunting and ghostly. It sets the mood of a wooded island with giant trees hanging with Spanish moss. Both the author and illustrator evoke a strong sense of place through exciting incidents and an eerie cover.
“Intruders on Battleship Island” is the first book in The Bayshore Mysteries. “The Secret Graveyard” will be the second book in the series.
JoAn Martin reviews children’s books for The Baytown Sun. She is a retired teacher. She may be reached at josbook(at)mindspring.com.
Baytown Sun Published April 4, 2004 Sumrall, Jerrye. “Intruders on Battleship Island.” Illustrated by Joan Betancourt. 1st Books. Bloomington, UN 2004. Paperback 166 pages. ISBN 1-4140-3297-8.
Jeff’s summer on the beach of Mullet Point is shaping up to be a disaster. He has almost failed fifth grade and his least favorite cousin, Stanley, is coming to spend six weeks. Stanley is an avid reader and loves spouting facts he has gleaned from his reading and his brainy vocabulary that keeps everyone asking, “Huh?”
The only bright spot for Jeff is that he has seen strange lights flickering on the deserted Battleship Island. His friends, Dan and Mike, want to go with him to investigate, but how will they get away from the obnoxious Stanley?
Jeff’s ploy is to send Stanley to the library to do research. While he is at the library, the three boys take a motorboat over to the island. They discover an old shack that has obviously been occupied recently. When a sudden thunderstorm blows in, their parents are so worried, they consider putting the island off- limits.
Stanley wants to join the boys in their detectives’ club, but they devise a difficult initiation test, hoping he won’t qualify. All four boys continue to place themselves in dangerous situations. Sumrall writes the scenes with the kind of suspenseful tension that will keep young readers turning the page.
Sumrall has contributed to the factual atmosphere of the book with historical notes. She gives the background for Admiral Farragut’s famous, ‘Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead.”
The island described is in the upper area of Mobile Bay and figured prominently in Civil War battles. The boys discover worn and frayed journals hidden in a trunk in the old shack.
Sumrall quotes from authentic passages taken from the diaries of two officers who fought in the Battle of Mabile Bay. She offers Web sites for young readers to allow them to access actual events.
Rarely does an author of children’s books use both secondary and primary sources to confirm reliable information. In her historical fiction, she has wedded factual content to imagination and written a fast read.
Joan Betancourt’s cover for the book is haunting and ghostly. It sets the mood of a wooded island with giant trees hanging with Spanish moss. Both the author and illustrator evoke a strong sense of place through exciting incidents and an eerie cover.
“Intruders on Battleship Island” is the first book in The Bayshore Mysteries. “The Secret Graveyard” will be the second book in the series.
JoAn Martin reviews children’s books for The Baytown Sun. She is a retired teacher. She may be reached at josbook(at)mindspring.com.