The 290

by Scott O'Dell

Jim Lynne is idly playing darts in Liverpool when his brother, Ted, calls him over to a table to ask a question about the ship that he is working on. It seems the ship, enigmatically named the 290, is not the cargo ship that people are saying it is. Whatever its purpose, it is certainly built for speed. But Jim thinks he knows that purpose: it is being built for the Confederate navy.

And so launches the story of the intertwined fates of a ship and a boy. The ship would go down in history as one of the most famous vessels of the Civil War. Originally the 290, she would come to be known as the Alabama. Jim, whose father is a slave trader, will have to reconcile his own hatred for slavery with his love for the ship he made and the captain who sails her. Destiny will give him a chance to do just that...

"Once again [Scott O'Dell] is able to refract universal themes of liberty and self-awareness through history's prism."
-School Library Journal

"The author displays his distinctive gifts for distilling significance from historical matter and for dealing with the sea. ... With lively conversation and with increasing tension, from confrontations at sea and aboard Jim's ship, the author crisply tells the story, skillfully integrating historical elements. ... Immediately captures the reader's interest." -Horn Book

Genres: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Civil War, War, Young Adult, Childrens

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Scott O'Dell was an American author celebrated for his historical fiction, especially novels for young readers. He is best known for Island of the Blue Dolphins, a classic that earned the Newbery Medal and has been translated into many languages and adapted for film. Over his career he wrote more than two dozen novels for young people, as well as works of nonfiction and adult fiction, often drawing on the history and landscapes of California and Mexico. His books, including The King’s Fifth, The Black Pearl, and Sing Down the Moon, earned him multiple Newbery Honors and a wide readership. O'Dell received numerous awards for his contribution to children’s literature, among them the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Regina Medal. In 1984, he established the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction to encourage outstanding works in the genre.

Reviews

[itchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

eponymous sentence:
p8: But nothing as odd-sounding as the 290.

It is short. Maybe too short. But it did get its point across.

I kind of jumped the gun on this one. I'm supposed to begin this first thing in 2024.

[Elena Pousada]

6B.
La situación en el libro que voy a hablar de es cuando no tienen el papeleo para entrar en los estados unidos. Yo hubiese hecho lo mismo que Ted hizo en esa situación y fue decir que mis papas viven en los estados unidos para que la seguridad de barcos nos deje pasar. Yo hubiera hecho eso porque las leyes de inmigración fueron mas duras en los tiempos de la guerra civil de los estados unidos y por eso yo no quisiera decir que so inmigrante y mejor decir que tengo a mis papas que viven en los estados unidos. Yo se que Ted puso tanto tiempo y trabajo duro en hacer arreglar ese barco para venir a los estados unidos que para mi se me quitan el barco o me deportan es tiempo gastado en un barco que nunca voy a ver de nuevo y por eso Ted es muy inteligente y dijo que vino a visitar familia y no a recoger partes para su bote, eso es lo que hizo el, yo tambien haria eso para salvar mi bote y arreglarlo en un lugar mas moderno y en un puerto de botes.
David Urgiles

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: 11+
Content considerations: violence, betrayal, slavery
Scott O'Dell has been called a king among authors. This book did not earn him that title, but neither does is force him off his throne. The book holds a reader's interest and invites him into ideas surrounding the Civil War that most children's books do not include. The rescue of hundreds of slaves by a teenager does require a lot of suspension of disbelief, but overall the book is certainly worth reading.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! This book was very moving and I could feel the relationship between the boy and the ship.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction with a nautical theme or apologist revisionism?

[Jordan Grieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m much like books about horses, I didn’t think a book about a boat would be very interesting but it hooked me and was well written.

[El Templo]

1862. Estados Unidos lleva un año inmerso en la guerra civil entre los estados del norte, que quieren abolir la esclavitud, y los del sur, que necesitan a los esclavos para trabajar en sus campos de algodón, tabaco y azúcar. Inglaterra ha firmado un tratado para no tomar partido en la guerra, pero en Liverpool se está construyendo un barco, el 290, que se convertirá en un buque corsario al servicio de los estados del sur. La función del 290 será hundir las naves que lleven suministros a los estados del norte.

Seguir leyendo: http://www.eltemplodelasmilpuertas.co...

[Don Gubler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction