Leo: Dog of the Sea,
1519-1521 by Alison Hart, 165 pages. Peachtree, 2017. $13.
Language: G (0 swears);
Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.
BUYING
ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE
APPEAL: HIGH
About
to begin his fourth sea voyage, Leo is scrappy, wary of humans, a fine ratter,
and partial toward a scrawny stowaway he finds hiding in his nest. Thus begins
a year-and-a-half voyage under the command of Captain Magellan from the
perspective of a canine. Magellan is determined to find a new route to the
Spice Islands, and must push through several hardships on the way, including
storms, depleted supplies, mutinous sailors, fearsome superstitions, sickness,
uncertain routes, lost ships and men, hostile natives and battles, ultimately
losing his life. Leo shares the horror and wonder of it all, including finding
friendship along the way.
This
historic journey is brought to life through Leo’s narration. It moves along
quickly, providing vivid details without getting bogged down. The last 20 pages
contain non-fiction information about various aspects of Magellan’s historic
journey and the facts behind the fiction, as well as a glossary, ship diagram,
bibliography, and further reading suggestions. This is a very solid historical
fiction read, and would be a great addition for most collections. There are
three other Dog Chronicles titles which cover the historical periods of coal
mining during the first part of the twentieth century, the Alaskan Gold Rush
during the same time period, and World War I.
P. K. Foster, teacher-librarian
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