Captains Courageous

ANNOTATION

After being swept overboard from an ocean liner, fifteen-year-old Harvey Cheyne, spoiled son of a millionaire, is rescued by New England fishermen who put him to work on their boat.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Harvey Cheyne is the over-indulged son of a millionaire. When he falls overboard from an ocean liner he is rescued by a Portuguese fisherman and, initially against his will, joins the crew of the We're Here for a summer. Through the medium of an exciting adventure story, Captains Courageous (1897) deals with a boy who, like Mowgli in The Jungle Book, is thrown into an entirely alien environment. The superstitious, magical world of the sea and the tough, orderly, physical world of the boat form a backdrop to Harvey's regeneration. Kipling describes the fascinating skills of the schooner fishermen who would soon be made redundant by the twentieth century, and makes the ship function as a convincing model for a society engaged in a difficult and dangerous task. The introduction to this edition examines its place among other maritime novels and among Kipling's own work, and explanatory notes clarify the seafaring terms and historical and geographical references.

SYNOPSIS

A pampered millionaire’s son learns to be worth his salt among fishermen working off Newfoundland.

FROM THE CRITICS

School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-When Rudyard Kipling took up residence in the U.S., he found intriguing characters in the sailing men of New England. This dramatization of his classic novel focuses on a good-humored, hard-working Gloucester fisherman who rescues a spoiled rich boy, Harvey Cheynen, when he falls off a passing steamship. Unconvinced by Harvey's story that his father is a millionaire, Captain Disko Troop and the crew of the We're Here teach the boy the value of a job well done. When the ship returns to port several months later, Harvey is reunited with his exultant parents and there are happy surprises for everyone. Toni Jourdan's adaptation uses key elements of the original text, and the story is presented with enough gusto to give young listeners a taste of Kipling's style. Though some accents lack authenticity and a few performances are uneven, the use of appropriate sound effects enhances this generally well done production by the St. Charles Players. Repeating the last line on the next side of the cassette interrupts the flow of the story but may help youngsters keep their place. The cover art has eye appeal, but the box is made of lightweight cardboard. Playing portions of this dramatization would make an excellent book talk; using it as a whole would give upper elementary and middle school students additional exposure to the works of Kipling.-Barbara S. Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

Kipling's 1897 novel is set on the savage waters of the Grand Banks, where a millionaire's son is swept off an ocean liner and picked up by fishing schooner, whose crew teaches him about life at sea. John Chancer has his hands full with this challenging text, and he's not altogether successful, though there are flashes of very good work. In addition to the Gloucester salts, the crew includes an Irishman and a Portuguese fisherman. Chancer handles the accents with some skill, particularly the gruff captain, Disko Troop. Some of his other voices, however, are ill-chosen and whiny, and he misreads too many lines. It doesn't help that he's betrayed by some poor production quality. D.B. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

AudioFile - Melody Moxley