The Castaways

November 1, 2007
Gr 5-9-Tom Tin's life has taken a turn for the worse ever since he took possession of the Jolly Stone, a sought-after diamond as big as a doorknob. A wealthy merchant, Mr. Goodfellow, has sentenced Tom's father to debtors' prison and Tom to an island in the South Seas on a convict ship. When Tom and four fellow castaways escape from the cannibal-infested islands on a broken-down boat, their provisions and fuel run out, forcing them to draw threads to see who will die so that the rest can live. Just before the axe is wielded, they run across two stranded sailors who use force to take over Tom's ship and lead the castaways into the hands of slave traders. Thanks to Tom's seafaring upbringing and loads of luck, the boys survive one frightening episode after another, eventually bringing Tom back to London where he can retrieve the Jolly Stone and seek revenge on Mr. Goodfellow. A treasure chest packed with seaworthy adventures, including dangerous encounters with slave traders, cannibals, pirates and the notorious Flying Dutchman, "The Castaways" leaves readers breathless with its twists and turns. Just when readers might think Tom is out of trouble, he comes face to face with another challenge, developing his character from a fearful boy set on revenge to a mature young man who discovers that you cannot put a price on happiness."Kimberly Monaghan, formerly at Vernon Area Public Library, IL"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2007
From the series that began with The Convicts (2005), this seafaring historical novel opens with five boys lost at sea in a crumbling, steam-driven boat. Believing themselves rescued when an unmanned ship floats by, they climb aboard, only to find themselves in the middle of a nightmarish experience that ends with their being sold into slavery. Narrator Tom eventually returnsto London, where the story takes a distinctly Dickensian turn. This adventure story offers a convincing, detailed, occasionally gruesome portrayal of life at sea200 years ago.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2008
In this third book (The Convicts, The Cannibals), Tom earns his sea legs. The story opens with a storm at sea; slavery, betrayal, and murder further tantalize readers. The final twist, a deeply moral one, concerns how Tom is freed from the tortuous path that threatens to consume him. Lawrence's story includes colorful characters and rich language laced with inventive similes.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2008
Young Tom Tin and his motley crew are back, and back on the high seas. In this third book (The Convicts, rev. 3/05; The Cannibals, rev. 11/05), Tom earns his sea legs and becomes the legitimate heir of his father, the legendary seaman Redman Tin. The previous book ended with Redman imprisoned by cannibals; this book opens to equal thrills and chills with a tremendous storm at sea. Companion Boggis intones at the end of one chapter, "We've come from the fat to the fire," a sentiment echoed repeatedly, as slavery, desertion, betrayal, death, pseudo-death, and murder crowd the pages, tantalizing the reader toward the next plot entanglement. Rich language laced with inventive similes may occasionally halt this forward movement, but through it all marches Lawrence's host of colorful characters, including Tom's loyal sidekick Midgely and the villainous Mr. Goodfellow, whose evil continues to drive the action. But Lawrence is more than a macabre storyteller with a bagful of Dickensian personalities to flesh out his sinuous plot. The final twist, a deeply moral one, concerns how Tom becomes a young man freed from the tortuous path that has consumed others and threatens to consume him.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)