What do you think?
Rate this book
Mosquito Mansion and my Misadventures in Mudland
Twelve year old Alexander Drabb, who prefers to be called Sandy, believes he has been sent to the strange land of mud to help run the sugar plantation, nicknamed Mosquito Mansion, of which his Uncle George is the manager. Finding that he was not wanted where he came from and not especially wanted where he has been sent, he seeks the friendship of Quaneva, a girl slave a little older than himself. Though Sandy is unaware of it, his freedom to travel allows Quaneva to play her part in organising a slave rebellion.
Uncle George disapproves of this growing friendship and sends Sandy off on a bush expedition with the local militia to capture runaway slaves and destroy their rainforest settlement. On Sandy’s return as a hero, the celebration of the expedition’s success is thrown into confusion when the slaves rebel.
Their misadventures continue when Sandy and Quaneva escape during the uprising and are swept upriver in a canoe, where they find themselves hunting and partying with the Indians.
But who is the mysterious hermit called Where-am-I? Did the rebellion succeed? And when Sandy is forced to face his divided loyalties, who will he betray?
Mosquito Mansion and My Misadventures in Mudland is a young adult novel set in Demerara, on the Wild Coast of South America in the days of slavery on the plantations.
Uncle George disapproves of this growing friendship and sends Sandy off on a bush expedition with the local militia to capture runaway slaves and destroy their rainforest settlement. On Sandy’s return as a hero, the celebration of the expedition’s success is thrown into confusion when the slaves rebel.
Their misadventures continue when Sandy and Quaneva escape during the uprising and are swept upriver in a canoe, where they find themselves hunting and partying with the Indians.
But who is the mysterious hermit called Where-am-I? Did the rebellion succeed? And when Sandy is forced to face his divided loyalties, who will he betray?
Mosquito Mansion and My Misadventures in Mudland is a young adult novel set in Demerara, on the Wild Coast of South America in the days of slavery on the plantations.
368 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2014
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 23, 2018
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Set in Demerara, on the Caribbean coast of South America, Alexander Drabb is a 12-year-old reluctant hero who prefers to go by the name of Sandy. Believing that he has been sent to the strange land of mud to help run the Mosquito Mansion sugar plantation, he is shocked to find that he is not wanted there. Seeking comfort in the friendship of a young slave girl Quaneva, Sandy soon finds himself caught in the centre of a slave rebellion. It’s not long before his Uncle George (also known as Spoonbill because of his nose) sends Sandy off on a bush expedition with the local military to capture runaway slaves.
On his return as a reluctant hero and during the celebration of the expedition’s success, Sandy and Quaneva unintentionally end up escaping together during the confused outbreak of the slave rebellion. They are swept upriver in a canoe and embark on daring adventures, hunting and partying with the Indians. However, upon returning to the plantation, the youngsters discover that Quaneva’s father has been killed. As Quaneva puts herself on trial out of guilt, Sandy quickly realises who masterminded the rebellion and is forced to face his divided loyalties and decide who he should betray...
*3.5 stars*
This was quite an interesting story. I was taken in by Sandy's story from the start - believing he was being sent to help run a sugar plantation with his uncle, only to learn that his parents were getting divorced and didn't want him there. Sadly, he wasn't wanted at the plantation either. He becomes friends with Quaneva, a young slave girl and becomes involved in a rebellion by the slaves. Sent away by his uncle to help capture runaway slaves, Sandy returns to a hero's reception and almost immediately escapes with Quaneva for some action and adventure. Upon returning, tragedy has struck and loyalties of young Sandy are brought to the fore...
I did enjoy this story. Sandy and Quaneva were fantastic MC's - in particular, Quaneva. Her part in this book is what dragged this from a probable 2.5 stars to 3.5 stars. She was that interesting. The action and adventure that happens when the slaves break free is solid and had me turning the pages. There is enough in the characters and the plot to make this worth a read.
My only downsides (although significant) were this: the pacing was a bit all over the place. There were times where I expected the suspense/action to build, instead it lulled and vice versa. The other thing was the way the author used poor dialogue to give the notion that a foreigner was speaking. That was a little lazy and could have been done far better.
Overall, a good plot with two amazing main characters. Worth a read based on that alone.
Paul
ARH
Set in Demerara, on the Caribbean coast of South America, Alexander Drabb is a 12-year-old reluctant hero who prefers to go by the name of Sandy. Believing that he has been sent to the strange land of mud to help run the Mosquito Mansion sugar plantation, he is shocked to find that he is not wanted there. Seeking comfort in the friendship of a young slave girl Quaneva, Sandy soon finds himself caught in the centre of a slave rebellion. It’s not long before his Uncle George (also known as Spoonbill because of his nose) sends Sandy off on a bush expedition with the local military to capture runaway slaves.
On his return as a reluctant hero and during the celebration of the expedition’s success, Sandy and Quaneva unintentionally end up escaping together during the confused outbreak of the slave rebellion. They are swept upriver in a canoe and embark on daring adventures, hunting and partying with the Indians. However, upon returning to the plantation, the youngsters discover that Quaneva’s father has been killed. As Quaneva puts herself on trial out of guilt, Sandy quickly realises who masterminded the rebellion and is forced to face his divided loyalties and decide who he should betray...
*3.5 stars*
This was quite an interesting story. I was taken in by Sandy's story from the start - believing he was being sent to help run a sugar plantation with his uncle, only to learn that his parents were getting divorced and didn't want him there. Sadly, he wasn't wanted at the plantation either. He becomes friends with Quaneva, a young slave girl and becomes involved in a rebellion by the slaves. Sent away by his uncle to help capture runaway slaves, Sandy returns to a hero's reception and almost immediately escapes with Quaneva for some action and adventure. Upon returning, tragedy has struck and loyalties of young Sandy are brought to the fore...
I did enjoy this story. Sandy and Quaneva were fantastic MC's - in particular, Quaneva. Her part in this book is what dragged this from a probable 2.5 stars to 3.5 stars. She was that interesting. The action and adventure that happens when the slaves break free is solid and had me turning the pages. There is enough in the characters and the plot to make this worth a read.
My only downsides (although significant) were this: the pacing was a bit all over the place. There were times where I expected the suspense/action to build, instead it lulled and vice versa. The other thing was the way the author used poor dialogue to give the notion that a foreigner was speaking. That was a little lazy and could have been done far better.
Overall, a good plot with two amazing main characters. Worth a read based on that alone.
Paul
ARH
June 6, 2015
Not my usual genre I found myself drawn to the cover of Mosquito Mansion more than anything else. I had in my mind some horror story about a creepy house. Then I read the blurb that came with the book and decided that it sounded interesting and would be something outside of the normal for me.
A story about Sandy Drabb or Alexander to his family and his introduction to the slave plantations of Mudland. This tale follows his realisation that he was sent here because his parents divorce meant he was too much to handle and how he would be of some use to his large beaked uncle.
Follow Sandy as he meets many colorful and fantastical people and creatures who work both in and out of the sugar cane fields. We get a child’s-eye view of the racism and slavery that we know is brutal and thankful mostly in the past. Sandy doesn’t understand it from a very basic view and this is refreshing. But when a strange girl who leads the blind slave women catches his eye things begin to get a lot stranger. Giant Centipedes, a harpy that walks atop the cane with the face of a human and a ritual with a strange king of queen are only the start.
A tale of growth in a place that seems to be falling apart and a journey through the horrors of slavery but with the innocence of a child.
Issues I had with the story, an over use of broken english dialogue to highlight foreigners. Sometimes the viewpoint of the young teen came across much younger than he actually was. The final act also seemed very confusing and it felt like a message got lost among the action. Overall I enjoyed the characters very much and found the fantastical elements very fun to read.
3 out of 5 talking fish
***A REVIEW FOR A NET GALLEY EBOOK***
A story about Sandy Drabb or Alexander to his family and his introduction to the slave plantations of Mudland. This tale follows his realisation that he was sent here because his parents divorce meant he was too much to handle and how he would be of some use to his large beaked uncle.
Follow Sandy as he meets many colorful and fantastical people and creatures who work both in and out of the sugar cane fields. We get a child’s-eye view of the racism and slavery that we know is brutal and thankful mostly in the past. Sandy doesn’t understand it from a very basic view and this is refreshing. But when a strange girl who leads the blind slave women catches his eye things begin to get a lot stranger. Giant Centipedes, a harpy that walks atop the cane with the face of a human and a ritual with a strange king of queen are only the start.
A tale of growth in a place that seems to be falling apart and a journey through the horrors of slavery but with the innocence of a child.
Issues I had with the story, an over use of broken english dialogue to highlight foreigners. Sometimes the viewpoint of the young teen came across much younger than he actually was. The final act also seemed very confusing and it felt like a message got lost among the action. Overall I enjoyed the characters very much and found the fantastical elements very fun to read.
3 out of 5 talking fish
***A REVIEW FOR A NET GALLEY EBOOK***
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews