Kitto is used to a hard life of ostracism and tedious labor—as a child with a clubfoot in seventeenth-century England, he can only hope to remain his father's apprentice, even though being a cooper is a long way from the seafaring adventures for which he yearns. Everything changes in an instant, however, when his dad's long-missing piratical brother returns, bringing untold danger and excitement in his wake.Unfortunately, too much of both await Kitto, who soon loses his father and finds himself embroiled in an elaborate scheme that may bring him riches and definitely nets him dangerous enemies; at the same time, he's frantically plotting ways to retrieve his kidnapped mother and little brother. Kitto possesses the perfect personality traits for just these sorts of life-and-death situations: he is unflinchingly bold, he has a clear moral compass, and he is adept at shelving otherwise overwhelming emotions until he has a more opportune moment to process them. Rather than simply sending a perfect protagonist into a grand (and horrifying) adventure, Eames is also careful to show how Kitto evolves and how subtle familial and cultural influences shaped him. Readers will undoubtedly identify strongly with the scrappy Kitto, and this will heighten the tension built around his inevitable struggles and ultimate hard-won successes. The story is accurate enough to grab historical fiction fans and sharp and quick enough to keep adventure fans enthralled; though both groups will likely be startled by the abruptness of the ending, they'll enjoy imagining how the subsequent events might play out in Kitto's able hands. AS --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July/August 2011
