Pirates and Privateers
The History of Maritime
Piracy
Cindy Vallar, Editor
& Reviewer
P.O. Box 425,
Keller, TX 76244-0425
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Novels for
Young Adults ~ Historical Fiction
![Cover Art: Christopher Hawkins and His Daring
Escapes](ChristopherHawkins.png)
Christopher Hawkins and His Daring Escapes
by Jeanne Brownlee Becijos
Torch Publications, 2023, ISBN 979-0-911079-02-9, US
$9.99
Also available in other formats
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Forethought and
enterprising best describe young
Christopher Hawkins. He has a dream and
wants to be ready when the day comes to
make that dream a reality, which is why he
practices stowing away on a boat docked in
Providence, Rhode Island. On the day the
colony declares it no longer owes its
loyalty to King George, he asks to join
his best friend as a cabin boy aboard
Commodore Whipple’s ship in the
Continental Navy. Despite his father’s
support for independence, his answer is a
resounding “No!”
Mr. Hawkins has other plans for
Christopher, and they have nothing to do
with sailing. Instead, when Christopher
turns twelve in 1776, he begins his
seven-year apprenticeship at a tannery
where the air reeks and danger abounds.
Plus, one worker likes to torture
Christopher and the other young
apprentice. Too young to do anything about
his father’s promise or the situation,
Christopher accepts his fate and bides his
time. One day, he will go to sea and fight
for America.
On the one-year anniversary of his
apprenticeship, he reads an advertisement
for work aboard a privateer. Even though
he knows there will be severe consequences
for breaking his contract at the tannery,
he reckons the owner will have to catch
him first. That will be difficult if he’s
at sea, so Christopher runs away and signs
aboard the Eagle as a cabin boy.
The tannery owner isn’t the only one
looking for him. So are the British.
Sooner than he expects, Christopher finds
himself a prisoner aboard one of His
Majesty’s ships. He does as he’s told, but
he also plans. One day, he will be free!
This novel is based on the real-life
exploits of Christopher Hawkins, a young
New England lad determined to fight for
his country. His actual memoir – written
at age seventy, in 1834 – is currently
housed in the Museum of the American
Revolution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Although the author, one of his
descendants, felt others needed to know
his story, she wanted to fill in the
blanks not discussed in the memoir. This
fictional version of his early life
abounds with determination and ingenuity,
for Christopher escaped several times
during the war, including from the
notorious prison hulk Jersey,
which was a death trap for anyone
imprisoned there.
Christopher Hawkins and His Daring
Escapes is more than just a tale of
war. It’s also a coming-of-age tale that
shows how Christopher learns and matures
as he faces new and difficult situations,
including the tearing apart of his family
and the death of friends. No matter how
dire the situation, he never gives up and
one of the most important lessons he comes
to understand is the meaning of freedom.
Although written for pirate apprentices,
adults will enjoy this adventure too. The
narrative is fast-paced and easy to read.
Several pictures are also included, as is
a map of Christopher’s escape route.
Anyone wishing to view the American
Revolution, colonial life, and
privateering from a child’s perspective
will find this a gripping tale intertwined
with historical details that enrich the
setting.
Review Copyright ©2024 Cindy Vallar
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