Victory

I am a big fan of Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series, so I was very excited to see that she recently published a new historical fiction/fantasy book. "Victory" tells two compelling inter-twining stories, set 200 years apart.

One story follows the adventures and hardships of Sam, a young boy living in England in the early 1800's who is drafted into the British navy to fight against Napoleon. He serves aboard Admiral Nelson's famed ship, the HMS Victory.

The other story tells us about Molly, a teenager from modern times whose parents have just moved from England to Connecticut. Homesick and lonely, Molly stumbles across a biography of Admiral Nelson in a used bookshop, and a magical link between Molly and Sam is formed.

You can tell Cooper did a lot of research on the tall ships from the age of sail, but don't be discouraged by all the nautical language. There is a glossary of sailing terms provided at the end of the book.

Being a guy, and a history teacher, I was naturally drawn to Sam's story of adventure and war on the high seas. I was surprisingly also drawn to the story of Molly as well. Any young person who has moved to a new place or has to deal with new step-siblings will relate to her experiences.