Surviving Jamestown: The Adventures of Young Sam Collier
Search in google:
Sam Collier, a twelve-year-old, serves as page to John Smith during the relentless hardship experienced by the founders at the first permanent English settlement in the New ...KLIATTYoung Sam Collier has left his father's farm for greater adventures aboard the Susan Constant as a page for Captain John Smith. The ship is sailing for the New World, a place the crew can only dream about. The reader is brought aboard the ship with Sam and his friends, who are constantly wreaking havoc on the decks. Their playfulness adds a unique element to this story. But the journey is not always easy and pleasant. Hardships such as seasickness, fever, disease, and bitter cold weather are suffered on the open seas. Once they finally arrive in Jamestown, life does not become easier. There, the crew is met with several setbacks, including attacks by Algonquin Indians. There is always the question of who will survive and how they will survive. Sam is one of the lucky ones. This story, told from a boy's perspective, gives a unique look into part of the nation's history. Readers of historical fiction will enjoy reading about his courage in an unsettling time. It is apparent that Karwoski spent a great deal of time researching this time period. A great learning tool for middle school teachers to use as a supplement to the study of early settlers and settlements. KLIATT Codes: J*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior high school students. 2001, Peachtree, 197p. illus. map. 23cm. 00-054859., $8.95. Ages 13 to 15. Reviewer: Shaunna S. Silva; Teacher, St. James School, Biddeford, ME , July 2001 (Vol. 35, No. 4)
\ Children's LiteratureIn 1607, 12-year-old Sam Collier sails to Virginia on the Susan Constant in Surviving Jamestown, a riveting novel of England's first settlement in the New World. As page to John Smith, Sam becomes involved in important historical events including befriending the Indians of Powhatan's tribe, surviving the sickness that sweeps the colony and dealing with infighting and spies. An extensive author's note bears testimony to author Gail Langer Karwoski's careful research into Jamestown's first year and sheds new, skeptical light on the popular legend of Pocahontas saving Smith's life. Occasional black-and-white illustrations by Paul Casale help young readers envision the period, especially the settlers' clothing and Indians' dwellings. 2001, Peachtree, Ages 8 to 12. \ —Mary Quattlebaum\ \ \ \ \ KLIATTYoung Sam Collier has left his father's farm for greater adventures aboard the Susan Constant as a page for Captain John Smith. The ship is sailing for the New World, a place the crew can only dream about. The reader is brought aboard the ship with Sam and his friends, who are constantly wreaking havoc on the decks. Their playfulness adds a unique element to this story. But the journey is not always easy and pleasant. Hardships such as seasickness, fever, disease, and bitter cold weather are suffered on the open seas. Once they finally arrive in Jamestown, life does not become easier. There, the crew is met with several setbacks, including attacks by Algonquin Indians. There is always the question of who will survive and how they will survive. Sam is one of the lucky ones. This story, told from a boy's perspective, gives a unique look into part of the nation's history. Readers of historical fiction will enjoy reading about his courage in an unsettling time. It is apparent that Karwoski spent a great deal of time researching this time period. A great learning tool for middle school teachers to use as a supplement to the study of early settlers and settlements. KLIATT Codes: J*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior high school students. 2001, Peachtree, 197p. illus. map. 23cm. 00-054859., $8.95. Ages 13 to 15. Reviewer: Shaunna S. Silva; Teacher, St. James School, Biddeford, ME , July 2001 (Vol. 35, No. 4)\ \ \ VOYAIn 1604, twelve-year-old Sam Collier considers himself the luckiest boy in all of England. He is heading to the New World as Captain John Smith's page. None of the colonists have any idea of the danger, hardships, illness, and death awaiting in the settlement that will become Jamestown. Sam lives through the "seasoning" of his first year and spends time with a friendly Indian tribe, learning the language and way of life. Smith also survives the many attempts to thwart his natural leadership by higher-born colonists and cheats death more than once until an accidental shipboard fire causes severe injuries, forcing him to return to England. He gives Sam the opportunity to choose his future—return to England or remain in America. Sam realizes he cannot stay attached to Smith forever and decides to forge his own way in the new country. Colonial life is not romanticized here. The colonists' infighting, lack of common sense, and pride often result in dangerous situations that could have been avoided. Descriptions of attacks and torture are graphic. Smith is portrayed as a man difficult to like or understand. Sam comes across as an unusually astute and optimistic young teen. Unfortunately, pen-and-ink drawings add little to the story. Although the language is formal in an attempt to capture the tone of the time, the book should be recommended to readers who have enjoyed the Dear America and My America series. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P J (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2001, Peachtree, 198p, $14.95. Ages 13 to 15. Reviewer: Pam Carlson SOURCE: VOYA, August 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 3)\ \ \ \ \ KLIATTJ(unior High)* Young Sam Collier has left his father's farm for greater adventures aboard the Susan Constant as a page for Captain John Smith. The ship is sailing for the New World, a place the crew can only dream about. The reader is brought aboard the ship with Sam and his friends, who are constantly wreaking havoc on the decks. Their playfulness adds a unique element to this story. But the journey is not always easy and pleasant. Hardships such as seasickness, fever, disease, and bitter cold weather are suffered on the open seas. Once they finally arrive in Jamestown, life does not become easier. There, the crew is met with several setbacks, including attacks by Algonquin Indians. There is always the question of who will survive and how they will survive. Sam is one of the lucky ones.\ This story, told from a boy's perspective, gives a unique look into part of the nation's history. Readers of historical fiction will enjoy reading about his courage in an unsettling time. It is apparent that Karwoski spent a great deal of time researching this time period. A great learning tool for middle school teachers to use as a supplement to the study of early settlers and settlements. --Shaunna S. Silva, Teacher, St. James School, Biddeford, ME\ \ \
