High Seas Adventures

There was once a village off the coast of Cornwall, England where people were so poor that they prayed for shipwrecks. They made their living by salvaging food and clothing from the wreckage. Some of them were evil and lit fires during a storm to lure ships onto the rocks. Then these "wreckers" made sure that no one survived the wrecks, so there would be no witnesses to their crimes. One stormy night in 1799, 14-year-old John Spencer was unfortunate enough to be on his father's ship when the wreckers did their worst. As John hid on the shore, he saw his shipmates murdered by these ruthless scavengers. Trapped in a strange land with no idea of whom to trust, he faced the most terrifying challenge of his life. The spell-binding excitement of a swashbuckling adventure, and the wrenching moral conflict of a Dickens novel delightfully converge in this critically-acclaimed debut novel. Ron Keith's exceptional narration ensures readers nonstop entertainment in the classic tradition. The Wreckers was chosen by Booklist as a Young Editors' Choice and by the New York Public Library as a title for reading and sharing.

It's been two years since John Spencer and his father were shipwrecked and nearly murdered by unscrupulous scavengers. Now the Spencers have a new ship, the Dragon, and 16-year-old John is elated to be making the new schooner's maiden voyage to London. Not long out to sea, John realizes that the captain and crew of the Dragon are not who they pretended to be. Instead they are smugglers, steering their own course, and prepared to kill anyone who tries to stop them. Leaving a trail of bloodshed and violence, these ruthless pirates have no intention of leaving any witnesses to their crimes. If John is to survive, it will be by his own steady wit and a stroke of good luck. This sequel to The Wreckers stands on its own as a historical tale of piracy and adventure on the high seas. The action is nonstop, and Ron Keith's narration enlivens a sparkling array of memorable characters.

This thrilling companion to Iain Lawrence's award-winning The Wreckers and The Smugglers plunges listeners into high-sea action and intrigue. After 17-year-old John Spencer sets out on his first voyage to foreign lands, he and his crew are wary when they come across a stranger named Horn rowing a lifeboat in the middle of nowhere. What is the man hiding?