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Zusatztext Kitto is used to a hard life of ostracism and tedious labor—as a child with a clubfoot in seventeenth-century England! he can only hope to remain his father’s apprentice! even though being a cooper is a long way from the seafaring adventures for which he yearns. Everything changes in an instant! however! when his dad’s long-missing piratical brother returns! bringing untold danger and excitement in his wake.Unfortunately! too much of both await Kitto! who soon loses his father and finds himself embroiled in an elaborate scheme that may bring him riches and definitely nets him dangerous enemies; at the same time! he’s frantically plotting ways to retrieve his kidnapped mother and little brother. Kitto possesses the perfect personality traits for just these sorts of life-and-death situations: he is unflinchingly bold! he has a clear moral compass! and he is adept at shelving otherwise overwhelming emotions until he has a more opportune moment to process them. Rather than simply sending a perfect protagonist into a grand (and horrifying) adventure! Eames is also careful to show how Kitto evolves and how subtle familial and cultural influences shaped him. Readers will undoubtedly identify strongly with the scrappy Kitto! and this will heighten the tension built around his inevitable struggles and ultimate hard-won successes. The story is accurate enough to grab historical fiction fans and sharp and quick enough to keep adventure fans enthralled; though both groups will likely be startled by the abruptness of the ending! they’ll enjoy imagining how the subsequent events might play out in Kitto’s able hands. AS --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books! July/August 2011 Informationen zum Autor Brian Eames has taught for fifteen years at the Paideia School, a K–12 independent school in Atlanta. He read his first novel, The Dagger Quick , out loud to his class as he wrote it. Publishers Weekly called The Dagger Quick “thoroughly researched, fast-paced, and tense…embraces the mythical glamour of a pirate’s life.” He lives with his wife and children in Atlanta. Visit him at TheDaggerQuick.com. Klappentext A rousing! old-fashioned adventure! "The Dagger Quick" is the story of 12-year-old Christopher! a boy with a clubfoot who is seemingly doomed to follow in the footsteps of his father in 17th-century England. Yet he longs for more. Leseprobe The Dagger Quick S imon Sneed flared thin lips, revealing a disgraceful mishmash of teeth. “I was nice to you last time, wasn’t I, cripple?” he said. “This time I’ll not be so generous.” Around Simon hovered a small tribe of dim-witted, large boys. “You don’t own the docks, Simon,” came the answer. His name was Kitto Wheale—or so he thought—and unlike Simon, Kitto did not attract a circle of admirers. Kitto had been born with a clubfoot, a sure sign of God’s disapproval. “Not yet I don’t own them,” Simon said. There were six boys in all arrayed against Kitto. Simon and three others stood in front and blocked one end of the deserted alley; two boys behind Kitto blocked the other. Six to one—poor odds. Next to Kitto stood his little brother, Elias, known to all as Duck. Duck glared the most menacing look a six-year-old could muster. “Leave us be, Simon Sneed!” Duck said. “We wasn’t bothering you.” Simon leaned to the boy beside him. “Nick that little ankle biter.” Two stout fellows stepped forward and took Duck by the arms. “Let go of me! Let go or I’ll show you what!” “Shut it, Duck,” Kitto told him. “You’re just giving him what he wants.” Kitto swept a hand across his dark curls. “Let him go, Simon. You’ve got me closed in, hav...
