Review of "Bluewater Journal: The Voyage of the Sea Tiger," by Loretta Krupinski

Review of

Bluewater Journal: The Voyage of the Sea Tiger, by Loretta Krupinski ISBN 0060234369

Five out of five stars

 This book is an excellent adventure story for young people because it is true in the sense that people experienced such things during the stated time period. In this story, the clipper ship “Sea Tiger” sets sail in 1860 from Boston Harbor. They are in a bit of a race to Honolulu, Hawaii with a similar ship called “Morning Star.”

 The main character is Benjamin Slocum and this story is a telling of his adventures as the “Sea Tiger” carries cargo between various ports. His father is the captain of the ship and his mother and sister are also on board. He is a young boy and it is all very exciting. Since they must sail down the eastern coast of South America and around the stormy Cape Horn into the Pacific, they experience a wide variety of weather conditions.

 They also have a collection of animals on board, a goat for fresh milk, some chickens for fresh eggs and pigs for fresh pork. This was quite common during long voyages of the time, other than fish, this would be the only was to have fresh food on occasion.

 The story is well told using the format of text on the left and a full-page illustration on the right, with the level of reading difficulty that of the late elementary school student. While there may not have been an actual Benjamin Slocum that took this specific trip, the story is well based on actual experiences, so it can be considered a true story.