seafaring life

Ten exciting stories feature dangerous voyages of famous explorers traveling on the high seas in search of fame and fortune. Feature boxes and maps add additional details and help readers better understand the explorers journey and the time period in which the expedition took place. RELUCTANT EXPLORER (986) North America is first discovered by Bjarni Herjolfsen who is looking for his parents, who have moved to Greenland from Iceland. Despite his crew s urging to make landfall he resists becoming the first explorer to land on the New World s shores. SHIPWRECKED (1493) Columbus s great exploration and discovery nearly ends in disaster when his ship strikes a reef in the Caribbean. He survives this and two storms to make it back to Spain with news of his discovery. THE FIRST CIRCUMNAVIGATION (1521) Magellan is killed in a battle with natives in the Pacific on the first voyage around the world. MAROONED (1541) Maguerite de la Roche is marooned on the Isle of Demons during Cartier s last voyage. Or the true story of Alexander Selkirk, the true-life Robinson Crusoe (1704). CAPTURED TREASURE (1579) Drake s capture of the Spanish treasure ship, Cacafuego, during his swashbuckling voyage around the world. MUTINY (1611) Hudson is cast adrift on a voyage to discover the Northwest passage, never to be seen again. Or Captain Blyth s famous trip to civilization, after being cast adrift in a small boat by a mutinous crew (1789). ATTACKED BY MAORIS (1642) Tasman discovers Tasmania and New Zealand where he survives an attack by Maori warriors. ADVENTURER EXTRAORDINAIRE (1700) The amazing life of William Dampier, a real-life swashbuckling adventurer. THE DEATH OF JAMES COOK (1779) The famous discoverer of Australia is killed by natives during an incident in the Pacific. THE KON-TIKI (1947) Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl s 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean, from South America to the Polynesian islands.

On a mission to rescue Empress Justina's son from his pirate kidnappers, Hal and the brotherband crew set sail amid stormy seas to the island of Santorillos where they encounter a formidable obstacle, a caldera.

"In the 1830s Owen Ward is cabin boy on the "Polaris," a ship on a voyage of scientific exploration, when illness and a mutiny off the coast of Brazil cause the adult crew to abandon the ship, leaving the handful of young cabin attendants and deckhands behind. The young seafarers are determined to bring their ship to safety, but when one of them disappears they begin to suspect that there is something deadly on board with them"--Provided by publisher.

"Kidnapped and taken to China, young Sherlock Holmes enjoys adventure on the high seas before encountering a puzzling case of three men bitten by the same poisonous snake in different parts of Shanghai. Includes historical notes"--Provided by publisher.

"Pug is going on a seafaring adventure. He's had jam tarts for breakfast. He's wearing a smart sailor suit. There's just one problem. Pug is afraid of the water!"--.

When a massive storm at sea blows the Brotherband crew off course to a land so far west Hal cannot recognize it from his maps, they face an unknown enemy.

In Japan in 1853, at the time of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visit to Japan, Yoshi, a young Japanese boy who dreams of becoming a samurai one day, learns about America from Majiro and has adventures with Jack, a young cabin boy aboard one of the U.S. ships. Includes historical notes and glossary.

"A young boy named Bren sets out on the high seas with a mysterious admiral to search for a legendary map that leads to an object of unspeakable power"--Provided by publisher.

"The story of cat Jacob Tibbs, runt of the litter, and his exploits on the high seas as a ship's mouser"--Provided by publisher.

After Anton, a cat who likes to listen to sea shanties in the local saloon, is kidnapped to be a ratter on a ship his brother Cecil, who is has always longed for a searfaring adventure, boards another ship in order to rescue him.