Powder Monkey: Adventures of a Young Sailor

When he is only thirteen, Sam leaves his home in England to see the world working aboard a merchant ship. He is instead forced aboard a dangerous naval ship and put to work hauling gun powder to the cannons for battle. Sam lives in constant fear of beatings, injury, or even death. Should he have just stayed at home and worked in his father’s shop? Can he earn the respect of the hardened sailors? Will he ever see his mother again? Dowswell paints an excellent (and sometimes gory) picture of life aboard a ship in the nineteenth century, and tween boys especially will appreciate this adventure on the high seas.

Dowswell, P. (2005). Powder Monkey: Adventures of a Young Sailor. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1-58234-675-5