First published 2010
Benjamin Franklin Orville lives a comfortable life with his own pony and the attention of the girl next door. His mother sends him to market one day to buy a chicken for dinner. A fight breaks out. Kidnappers seize Benjy along with a group of immigrants. They force him to work aboard the Ella Dawn, a notorious oystering ship in Baltimore. Benjy tries to convince his captors he doesn't belong there, but they ignore his protests. He learns hard labor, hunger, and some German from his fellow workers. The sea teaches him about injustice but also brings unexpected gifts. The gentle waves rock him to sleep each night. He discovers a sense of freedom he never knew in his wealthy home. The question haunts him whether he will ever return to his old life, and if he does, whether he can fit back into that world.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, coming-of-age, mystery
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Baltimore, Germany
Period: 19th-century
176 pages · Hardcover · Hyperion Book CH
Content warnings: kidnapping