Mutiny: A Novel of the H.M.S Bounty

Reader: Elise S
Age: 13
Title: Mutiny: A Novel of the H.M.S Bounty
Author: John Boyne
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Pub Date: 2008
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Annotation: John Jacob Turnstile is a fourteen year-old pickpocket and has a choice put before him: go to jail, or become a captain's servant on the H.M.S. Bounty, a ship with an important mission. Little did he know that the trip would turn out to be a lot longer than expected, due to unhappy sailors. How would you convince someone to read the book: I would tell them that Mutiny was very well written, and extremely historically accurate.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I loved how true to the times it was. I could feel that the author had put a lot of work into researching phrases, sea life, and the little details of life.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: It started dragging towards the end. It felt to me that the author just lost some steam. He ended about five chapters with phrases like "if only I knew how short-lived this peace would be." and "It would only be later that I realized what this would mean, and I regretted not putting it together before." Before anything actually happened. And then when something actually happened it wasn't all that exciting, and the next quarter of the book was spent repeating over and over how hungry, thirsty, and insane they are.
Comments: I noticed the main character had an unappealing thing about his crotch. That put me off a bit.
Did the cover reflect the contents: The cover was GREAT! I like how it shows the reader that it's a novel about the sea, and a boy, and the words over everything are a nice touch. Even though the book says that the main character's hair is supposed to be dark, NOT blond.
Age Range: 14-15, 16-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal