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Currents
This middle-grade historical novel follows three young girls living very different lives who are connected by one bottle that makes two journeys across the ocean.
It's 1854 and eleven-year-old Bones is a slave on a Virginia plantation. When she finds her name in the slave-record book, she rips it out, rolls it up, and sets it free, corked inside a bottle alongside the carved peach pit heart her long-lost father made for her. Across the Atlantic on the Isle of Wight, motherless Lady Bess Kent and her sister discover Bones's bottle half-buried on the beach. Leaving Bones's name where it began and keeping the peach pit heart for herself, Bess hides her mother's pearl-encrusted cross necklace in the bottles so her scheming stepmother, Elsie, can't sell it off like she's done with other family heirlooms. When Harry, a local stonemason's son, takes the fall for Elsie's thefts, Bess works with her seafaring friend, Chap, to help him escape. She gives the bottle to Harry and tells him to sell the cross. Back across the Atlantic in Boston, Mary Margaret Casey and her father are at the docks when Mary Margaret spies something shiny. Her father fishes it out of the water, and they use the cross to pay for a much needed doctor's visit for Mary Margaret's ailing sister. As Bess did, Mary Margaret leaves Bones's name where it belongs. An epilogue returns briefly to each girl, completing the circle of the three unexpectedly interconnected lives.
It's 1854 and eleven-year-old Bones is a slave on a Virginia plantation. When she finds her name in the slave-record book, she rips it out, rolls it up, and sets it free, corked inside a bottle alongside the carved peach pit heart her long-lost father made for her. Across the Atlantic on the Isle of Wight, motherless Lady Bess Kent and her sister discover Bones's bottle half-buried on the beach. Leaving Bones's name where it began and keeping the peach pit heart for herself, Bess hides her mother's pearl-encrusted cross necklace in the bottles so her scheming stepmother, Elsie, can't sell it off like she's done with other family heirlooms. When Harry, a local stonemason's son, takes the fall for Elsie's thefts, Bess works with her seafaring friend, Chap, to help him escape. She gives the bottle to Harry and tells him to sell the cross. Back across the Atlantic in Boston, Mary Margaret Casey and her father are at the docks when Mary Margaret spies something shiny. Her father fishes it out of the water, and they use the cross to pay for a much needed doctor's visit for Mary Margaret's ailing sister. As Bess did, Mary Margaret leaves Bones's name where it belongs. An epilogue returns briefly to each girl, completing the circle of the three unexpectedly interconnected lives.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2015
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September 1, 2015
When done well, middle grade historical fiction both entertains and educates what can sometimes be a reluctant audience. Jane Smolik’s “Currents” earns high marks in the education category, but doesn’t rate as highly in the all-important entertainment category.
“Currents” links together the lives of three girls living in 1854. Bones is a slave on a Virginia plantation; Bess is a Lord’s daughter in England; and Mary Margaret is an Irish immigrant living in Boston. Although they never meet, their lives are connected through a message in a bottle, which originates from Bones.
Smolik presents readers with a well-researched and historically accurate account of mid 1800s life in each of these three communities. Readers learn not only about the main characters, but about the lives of background characters, and how things came to be (e.g. a concise history of the slave trade, the Irish potato famine, etc.)
The book falters a bit in its delivery. Each girl’s story could have benefitting from tighter editing, as I found they were each slow to start. I’m wondering if a younger reader would have the patience to stick with the book.
Overall 2.75 stars rounded up to 3.
Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for a galley of the book in exchange for an honest review
“Currents” links together the lives of three girls living in 1854. Bones is a slave on a Virginia plantation; Bess is a Lord’s daughter in England; and Mary Margaret is an Irish immigrant living in Boston. Although they never meet, their lives are connected through a message in a bottle, which originates from Bones.
Smolik presents readers with a well-researched and historically accurate account of mid 1800s life in each of these three communities. Readers learn not only about the main characters, but about the lives of background characters, and how things came to be (e.g. a concise history of the slave trade, the Irish potato famine, etc.)
The book falters a bit in its delivery. Each girl’s story could have benefitting from tighter editing, as I found they were each slow to start. I’m wondering if a younger reader would have the patience to stick with the book.
Overall 2.75 stars rounded up to 3.
Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for a galley of the book in exchange for an honest review
September 6, 2017
Eleven-year-old Agnes May "Bones" is enslaved in Virginia along with her Mama and Granny. Her Papa was sold off when she was too little to remember him. In her heart, Bones is as free as Miss Liza, her young mistress and companion. Bones stores away forbidden knowledge from Miss Liza against the time when she will need it. When plans go awry, Bones tosses a bottle containing a forbidden secret into the James River. Hopefully someone, somewhere, will know that Agnes May Brewster lives. A year later on the Isle of Wright, Lady Bess, daughter of the Duke of Kent longs for adventure. She wants to be an explorer, like her Papa. Her hideous stepmother wants Bess to be more ladylike. The only one who understands Bess' longing for adventure is Henry, a working class boy. They both enjoy listening to the wild tales of Chap Harris, an old black sailor. When Bess finds a bottle tossed ashore on her island, she knows she was meant to find it somehow. When her situation at home becomes intolerable, she sends the bottle off to sea, along with an important piece of her past. In Boston, Massachusetts in 1856, it is tough for Irish families to get by. With the memory of the famine fresh in their minds and the losses fresh in their hearts, 12-year old Mary Margaret is grateful to the middle-class Bennett family for hiring her parents and renting them a basement apartment. Jane Bennett is Mary Margaret's best friend and they enjoy reading and writing stories. Mary Margaret longs for the opportunity to get an education but soon she must go to work in the mills to help her family. When an astonishing find may provide her with the means to that education, Mary Margaret has to decide which is more important-her selfish dreams or her sister's health. By the outbreak of the Civil War, these three girls will be connected in ways they never dreamed of and their lives changed forever because of one little bottle.
I would have loved this story when I was a tween. It's just enough history for ages 10-12 and enough excitement too. I couldn't put it down. I thought the story of Bones/Agnes May, was the most compelling and realistic of them all. The author read slave narratives to lend an authentic voice to her characters. I loved how traditions and stories from Africa were passed down through the generations. I liked how the author was brutally honest about slavery while staying within an age-appropriate level. Bones is a fun, spunky character. She refuses to be a piece of property and doesn't ingratiate herself with the family, the way Queenie, the family cook, does. Bones just is a typical 11 year old girl with freedom in her heart and mind. She illustrates how enslaved people could maintain agency over their minds and bodies while forced to endure horrific conditions. (I wrote about this at a graduate level so I know the author did her research). More sensitive young readers may be scared or upset by some of the things that happen to Bones and her family. I found the ending very disappointing. I'm torn between liking it as is because it's mostly realistic and wanting something more.
The story of Lady Bess, daughter of the Duke of Kent, is the least plausible. First of all, the Duke of Kent is a royal title, reserved for the sons of Kings and Queens. Queen Victoria's father was the Duke of Kent. The title ended up extinct, but has been held by Queen Victoria's descendants not an unknown Duke on the Isle of Wight. His daughter, Lady Elizabeth, should have a family surname not Lady Bess Kent. The character writing to her wouldn't know that but it pops up in a few places incorrectly and annoyed me. It's not hard to look at a book of peerage and a book of styles and addresses to figure this out. Anyway, the story was exciting even with the errors. It reads like a Disney-ish fairy tale. The wicked stepmother was actually the most historically correct character! I liked Bess' sense of adventure and her strong mind.
Mary Margaret's story was almost as interesting as Agnes May's. It seemed historically plausible anyway. The story illustrates the prejudice against Irish immigrants and touches on the devastating effects of the potato famine. Again sensitive readers may be upset by some of the things that happened to Mary Margaret and her family. I was fascinated by the medical history presented here. I never knew Tiny Tim had a specific disease. The story is kind of a Cinderella tale but Mary Margaret worked hard and was smart so she deserved happiness.
I was hoping the three girls would somehow come together in the end so I was disappointed in that respect. The epilogue was kind of rushed and I would have rather the plot been drawn out more. I dropped my rating from 4 to 3 stars because this is very much a book for children and not nit-picky historians.
I would have loved this story when I was a tween. It's just enough history for ages 10-12 and enough excitement too. I couldn't put it down. I thought the story of Bones/Agnes May, was the most compelling and realistic of them all. The author read slave narratives to lend an authentic voice to her characters. I loved how traditions and stories from Africa were passed down through the generations. I liked how the author was brutally honest about slavery while staying within an age-appropriate level. Bones is a fun, spunky character. She refuses to be a piece of property and doesn't ingratiate herself with the family, the way Queenie, the family cook, does. Bones just is a typical 11 year old girl with freedom in her heart and mind. She illustrates how enslaved people could maintain agency over their minds and bodies while forced to endure horrific conditions. (I wrote about this at a graduate level so I know the author did her research). More sensitive young readers may be scared or upset by some of the things that happen to Bones and her family. I found the ending very disappointing. I'm torn between liking it as is because it's mostly realistic and wanting something more.
The story of Lady Bess, daughter of the Duke of Kent, is the least plausible. First of all, the Duke of Kent is a royal title, reserved for the sons of Kings and Queens. Queen Victoria's father was the Duke of Kent. The title ended up extinct, but has been held by Queen Victoria's descendants not an unknown Duke on the Isle of Wight. His daughter, Lady Elizabeth, should have a family surname not Lady Bess Kent. The character writing to her wouldn't know that but it pops up in a few places incorrectly and annoyed me. It's not hard to look at a book of peerage and a book of styles and addresses to figure this out. Anyway, the story was exciting even with the errors. It reads like a Disney-ish fairy tale. The wicked stepmother was actually the most historically correct character! I liked Bess' sense of adventure and her strong mind.
Mary Margaret's story was almost as interesting as Agnes May's. It seemed historically plausible anyway. The story illustrates the prejudice against Irish immigrants and touches on the devastating effects of the potato famine. Again sensitive readers may be upset by some of the things that happened to Mary Margaret and her family. I was fascinated by the medical history presented here. I never knew Tiny Tim had a specific disease. The story is kind of a Cinderella tale but Mary Margaret worked hard and was smart so she deserved happiness.
I was hoping the three girls would somehow come together in the end so I was disappointed in that respect. The epilogue was kind of rushed and I would have rather the plot been drawn out more. I dropped my rating from 4 to 3 stars because this is very much a book for children and not nit-picky historians.
November 7, 2015
Find this review and more fantastical things at The Leaning Tower of Tomes.
Source: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Charlesbridge!
The review:
Currents is a really lovely book that follows the lives of three completely different girls living in the 1800s: Bones, a slave on a Virginia plantation, Bess, a British Duke’s daughter, and Mary Margaret, an Irish immigrant living in Boston. I loved the idea of a “message in a bottle” being carried by the currents from one girl to the next. It was fascinating seeing how its contents and mystery and history affected each girl who found it.
This book is quite sadder/more serious than I expected it to be. A lot of bad things happen, and there are some pretty horrendously bad people our young heroines have to deal with. I liked how nothing was sugarcoated here. People get hurt, people get blamed, and there is a lot of discrimination regarding class and race. There is also quite a bit of historical information in Currents, which was delivered fairly obviously, but that didn’t seem too “textbook-like”.
Perhaps the only negative thing about Currents is its pacing. For each girl’s story to be roughly 100 pages (only 80 for Bones), I would have liked the beginnings of each story line to be a bit more fast-paced. When there is just so little time spent with each girl, each individual story needs to be engrossing from the beginning. It took a few chapters for me to start caring about each girl, particularly in Bones and Bess’s cases. (Mary Margaret’s story was probably my favorite.) This wasn’t a huge downfall at all, it was minor, and the slow build-up doesn’t detract from the novel overall, but it was something I did notice.
Currents is a sweet, quick read about three girls growing up and searching for their dreams and the freedom to be able to pursue those dreams. I was also thankful for the epilogue because I really needed closure and I got it, to some extent. I highly recommend Currents if you’re feeling nostalgic for some good ol’ middle grade historical fiction, reminiscent of those Dear America books I certainly devoured as a kid and pre-teen. ♦
So tell me...
Have you read Currents? If you haven’t, would you be interested to? What’s the last historical fiction novel you read? Or, what was the last book with multiple, intertwining story lines you read? Also, did you ever read the Dear America books? Comment below letting me know! And, as always, happy reading!
Follow me @ toweroftomes on Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | and Bloglovin’!
Source: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Charlesbridge!
The review:
Currents is a really lovely book that follows the lives of three completely different girls living in the 1800s: Bones, a slave on a Virginia plantation, Bess, a British Duke’s daughter, and Mary Margaret, an Irish immigrant living in Boston. I loved the idea of a “message in a bottle” being carried by the currents from one girl to the next. It was fascinating seeing how its contents and mystery and history affected each girl who found it.
This book is quite sadder/more serious than I expected it to be. A lot of bad things happen, and there are some pretty horrendously bad people our young heroines have to deal with. I liked how nothing was sugarcoated here. People get hurt, people get blamed, and there is a lot of discrimination regarding class and race. There is also quite a bit of historical information in Currents, which was delivered fairly obviously, but that didn’t seem too “textbook-like”.
Perhaps the only negative thing about Currents is its pacing. For each girl’s story to be roughly 100 pages (only 80 for Bones), I would have liked the beginnings of each story line to be a bit more fast-paced. When there is just so little time spent with each girl, each individual story needs to be engrossing from the beginning. It took a few chapters for me to start caring about each girl, particularly in Bones and Bess’s cases. (Mary Margaret’s story was probably my favorite.) This wasn’t a huge downfall at all, it was minor, and the slow build-up doesn’t detract from the novel overall, but it was something I did notice.
Currents is a sweet, quick read about three girls growing up and searching for their dreams and the freedom to be able to pursue those dreams. I was also thankful for the epilogue because I really needed closure and I got it, to some extent. I highly recommend Currents if you’re feeling nostalgic for some good ol’ middle grade historical fiction, reminiscent of those Dear America books I certainly devoured as a kid and pre-teen. ♦
So tell me...
Have you read Currents? If you haven’t, would you be interested to? What’s the last historical fiction novel you read? Or, what was the last book with multiple, intertwining story lines you read? Also, did you ever read the Dear America books? Comment below letting me know! And, as always, happy reading!
Follow me @ toweroftomes on Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | and Bloglovin’!
June 20, 2015
Title: Currents
Author: Jane Smolik
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Pub Date: Sep 8, 2015
Page count: 336
Genre: middle grade, historical fiction
Source: NetGally*
Format: e-ARC
Rating: wonderfully amazing, a favorite
Need of tissues: three tissues
Review: on Goodreads
Currents is a wonderful story about three girls, living hundreds of miles away from each other, and how the currents brought them into each other life by only a bottle.
At first we get to be introduced to a slave girl in Virginia named Bones, and how the simple right of reading is taken from her. Her story is heartbreaking, but I loved her spirit, her eagerness for knowledge, and how smart she is.
Then we learn about Lady Bess, a daughter of a duke, and her imaginary adventures with her sister. But unlike her sister, she isn't into balls and dresses, she want to be an explorer. Everyone is telling her she can't because it is unladylike, and that's something I can relate to. She was an incredible girl and exciting. But she has a cruel stepmother, and sadly she couldn't uncover her.
Later we meet a hard-working Irish girl, Mary Margaret, who lived in Boston. I didn't know about the struggles between America and Ireland back then, and it wasn't explained directly in the novel, but I was shocked by how others treated her and her family. And I liked her, and how she is satisfied with the little things. Her bond with her family and how much she cared about them is genuine.
All of the characters were purposeful in this novel, honestly, I can read a whole novel for each girl because I want to know more about them and their life. I even googled their names, hoping they are existing people, but they're not. Plus, I liked how in many ways they are alike. All of them love books and learning and they are smart in different ways. And how they all thought the same thoughts, to be able to fit inside the bottle, to be free, to overcome the unfairness of life, to travel, and that all the answers is in books (or magazines).
And since we're talking magazines, Marry's Museum Magazine was a big part of the story, they all read it and loved it and looked forward to it. Since I was young I loved magazines, especially the ones with things that interest me like world wonders, short stories, useful facts, and crafts, and I absolutely understand their enthusiasm about them.
Overall, it is a great story that people of all ages will enjoy, and it is a great start to the historical fiction genre. It reminded me of the TV series Touch, if you're a fan, you will like this novel and visa verse.
*I was given the book by the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange of my honest review.
Author: Jane Smolik
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Pub Date: Sep 8, 2015
Page count: 336
Genre: middle grade, historical fiction
Source: NetGally*
Format: e-ARC
Rating: wonderfully amazing, a favorite
Need of tissues: three tissues
Review: on Goodreads
Currents is a wonderful story about three girls, living hundreds of miles away from each other, and how the currents brought them into each other life by only a bottle.
At first we get to be introduced to a slave girl in Virginia named Bones, and how the simple right of reading is taken from her. Her story is heartbreaking, but I loved her spirit, her eagerness for knowledge, and how smart she is.
Then we learn about Lady Bess, a daughter of a duke, and her imaginary adventures with her sister. But unlike her sister, she isn't into balls and dresses, she want to be an explorer. Everyone is telling her she can't because it is unladylike, and that's something I can relate to. She was an incredible girl and exciting. But she has a cruel stepmother, and sadly she couldn't uncover her.
Later we meet a hard-working Irish girl, Mary Margaret, who lived in Boston. I didn't know about the struggles between America and Ireland back then, and it wasn't explained directly in the novel, but I was shocked by how others treated her and her family. And I liked her, and how she is satisfied with the little things. Her bond with her family and how much she cared about them is genuine.
All of the characters were purposeful in this novel, honestly, I can read a whole novel for each girl because I want to know more about them and their life. I even googled their names, hoping they are existing people, but they're not. Plus, I liked how in many ways they are alike. All of them love books and learning and they are smart in different ways. And how they all thought the same thoughts, to be able to fit inside the bottle, to be free, to overcome the unfairness of life, to travel, and that all the answers is in books (or magazines).
And since we're talking magazines, Marry's Museum Magazine was a big part of the story, they all read it and loved it and looked forward to it. Since I was young I loved magazines, especially the ones with things that interest me like world wonders, short stories, useful facts, and crafts, and I absolutely understand their enthusiasm about them.
Overall, it is a great story that people of all ages will enjoy, and it is a great start to the historical fiction genre. It reminded me of the TV series Touch, if you're a fan, you will like this novel and visa verse.
*I was given the book by the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange of my honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2023
This book deserves more recognition than it's gotten. It's a novel way to connect separate stories. From an American perspective, two important aspects of our history are represented: slavery and Irish immigration.
Three separate and very different lives are connected through a bottle tossed into the James River. Bones is a slave on a Virginia plantation. She makes the mistake of allowing the mistress's daughter to teach her to read. For that mistake she gets a severe whipping. She has a peach pit carved by her father into the shape of a heart. She puts that, along with a note, into the bottle and sets it adrift.
A year later the bottle washes up on Isle of Wright in England. Bess, the daughter of a duke, finds it. Her hardship is living with her haughty stepmother. She wants to spend more than the duke allows, so she sells off heirlooms from the attic and accuses Bess's friend of stealing them. To save her own precious keepsake, a necklace given to her by her deceased mother, Bess puts it in the bottle along with Bones' original note, and sets it adrift.
A year later, the bottle ends up back across the ocean in Boston. Mary Margaret is an Irish immigrant who came to America to escape the potato famine. The Irish are treated as 2nd class citizens, but Mary Margaret's family are lucky to work for a respectable family in the swank neighborhood of Beacon Hill. She finds the bottle with the necklace and pawns it to help with her family's financial needs.
There's one other commonality between the girls. They all read Merry's Museum magazine. The story comes full circle when Bones notices an article in the magazine written by Mary Margaret about the bottle she found with the slave note inside.
I loved the idea that these 3 girls lived so far apart and yet even without phones they communicated. On one level their lives are very different, but if you dig deeper, you can find all kinds of similarities. It also shows that in any given time in history, many different, but significant things are going on simultaneously. Books like this are great for group discussions. Recommend for assigned reading in an America history class. Smolik has a talent, and I hope she continues writing.
Three separate and very different lives are connected through a bottle tossed into the James River. Bones is a slave on a Virginia plantation. She makes the mistake of allowing the mistress's daughter to teach her to read. For that mistake she gets a severe whipping. She has a peach pit carved by her father into the shape of a heart. She puts that, along with a note, into the bottle and sets it adrift.
A year later the bottle washes up on Isle of Wright in England. Bess, the daughter of a duke, finds it. Her hardship is living with her haughty stepmother. She wants to spend more than the duke allows, so she sells off heirlooms from the attic and accuses Bess's friend of stealing them. To save her own precious keepsake, a necklace given to her by her deceased mother, Bess puts it in the bottle along with Bones' original note, and sets it adrift.
A year later, the bottle ends up back across the ocean in Boston. Mary Margaret is an Irish immigrant who came to America to escape the potato famine. The Irish are treated as 2nd class citizens, but Mary Margaret's family are lucky to work for a respectable family in the swank neighborhood of Beacon Hill. She finds the bottle with the necklace and pawns it to help with her family's financial needs.
There's one other commonality between the girls. They all read Merry's Museum magazine. The story comes full circle when Bones notices an article in the magazine written by Mary Margaret about the bottle she found with the slave note inside.
I loved the idea that these 3 girls lived so far apart and yet even without phones they communicated. On one level their lives are very different, but if you dig deeper, you can find all kinds of similarities. It also shows that in any given time in history, many different, but significant things are going on simultaneously. Books like this are great for group discussions. Recommend for assigned reading in an America history class. Smolik has a talent, and I hope she continues writing.
May 31, 2015
Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book.
Currents is a historical novel that begins in 1854 with a young slave girl named Bones. She is whipped and punished for being taught to read by the owner's daughter, but Bones continues reading whatever she can get her hands on. When dusting the library, she comes across her birth record and tears the page out of the book. Realizing the trouble she will get in when the owners realizes the missing page, Bones rolls the paper into a jar along with a carved heart given to her by her father, seals the bottle with wax, and sets it free into the river current.
The bottle makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean where it is discovered on a beach by Lady Bess, who is the same age as Bones. Bess ponders the meaning of the mysterious birth record as she faces her own struggles with a stepmother who surreptitiously sells off family heirlooms and pockets the money. When the stepmother takes the necklace that is to be passed onto Bess when she turns eighteen, Bess takes and hides the necklace in the glass bottle along with the birth record and the bottle journeys on the currents to Boston, Massachusetts.
Mary Margaret Casey and her father discover the bottle floating by the docks and snag it with a fishing hook. Mary Margaret sells off the necklace to help pay for her sister's medical bills, and she also finds the bottle inspires her and sends her along a new path filled with opportunity and possibility.
The girls' three stories are interconnected in an intriguing and seamless way, and the gifts the girls unknowingly give to each other are priceless and mystical, linked through the green glass bottle. Excellently written, thought-provoking, and compassionate, I would recommend this book for a middle grade audience and beyond.
Currents is a historical novel that begins in 1854 with a young slave girl named Bones. She is whipped and punished for being taught to read by the owner's daughter, but Bones continues reading whatever she can get her hands on. When dusting the library, she comes across her birth record and tears the page out of the book. Realizing the trouble she will get in when the owners realizes the missing page, Bones rolls the paper into a jar along with a carved heart given to her by her father, seals the bottle with wax, and sets it free into the river current.
The bottle makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean where it is discovered on a beach by Lady Bess, who is the same age as Bones. Bess ponders the meaning of the mysterious birth record as she faces her own struggles with a stepmother who surreptitiously sells off family heirlooms and pockets the money. When the stepmother takes the necklace that is to be passed onto Bess when she turns eighteen, Bess takes and hides the necklace in the glass bottle along with the birth record and the bottle journeys on the currents to Boston, Massachusetts.
Mary Margaret Casey and her father discover the bottle floating by the docks and snag it with a fishing hook. Mary Margaret sells off the necklace to help pay for her sister's medical bills, and she also finds the bottle inspires her and sends her along a new path filled with opportunity and possibility.
The girls' three stories are interconnected in an intriguing and seamless way, and the gifts the girls unknowingly give to each other are priceless and mystical, linked through the green glass bottle. Excellently written, thought-provoking, and compassionate, I would recommend this book for a middle grade audience and beyond.
May 31, 2015
This book follows the lives of 3 girls who are connected by a bottle that is thrown into the sea and carried adrift. The story starts with Agnes May or "Bones" who is a slave in Virginia who is whipped for learning to read and write. When she finds a ledger with her name and birthdate she rips it out and puts it and a heart made from a peach pit into a bottle and sets it adrift. The bottle is found by Lady Bess who is the daughter of the Duke of Kent. Lady Bess has her own troubles - one of which is a stepmother who is selling off her family's heirlooms. Bess rescues a beloved necklace and puts that in the bottle along with Bess's paper and casts it adrift. The bottle is finally found by Mary Margaret in Boston who is able to sell the necklace to pay for medical services.
Each girl's potion of the book is about 90 - 100 pages long which sections the book quite nicely. Each girl has adventures, friends, and problems that eventually intertwine. How realistic is it that the bottle would travel such great distances and be found? Probably not very but the story was enjoyable with good information about the time period. I also liked the Maine connection with an author who grew up in Cape Elizabeth and lives part of the year in Scarborough.
Each girl's potion of the book is about 90 - 100 pages long which sections the book quite nicely. Each girl has adventures, friends, and problems that eventually intertwine. How realistic is it that the bottle would travel such great distances and be found? Probably not very but the story was enjoyable with good information about the time period. I also liked the Maine connection with an author who grew up in Cape Elizabeth and lives part of the year in Scarborough.
May 23, 2015
This book had a slow start but eventually warmed up. It illustrates how the lives of three girls of the same age who live very different lives in different places, become interconnected through a travelling glass baootle in the ocean. The girls never meet but the bottle and the paper inside have some significance for all the girls. Currents is amazingly well researched and is great for middle school aged students, being both interesting and historically accurate.
July 8, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. I received it as an advanced reading copy and just thoroughly enjoyed it. Each of the girls were interesting, and so was the story of the bottle. Throwing a bottle into the ocean is something I have always thought of doing, and the story was done really well with this idea. I liked the way it made a full circle.
June 25, 2024
meh.....although it was all very historical, it wasn't entertaining and quite honestly, I found this book a tad boring. My favorite books need to have a ton of dialog, adventure, suspense, mystery, (etc) but this book, it had none of those. I'm still glad I read though, the history was interesting!
September 26, 2018
This book is about three different girls, a slave, a wealthy, and an immigrant. The slave Agnes may or bones, finds a bottle puts the page with her name on it and a carved peach pit into it. but before all this she gets in trouble when she is caught reading and writing by her mistress, her best friend the mistress's daughter feel terrible because she was the one teaching it to her, then Bones finds out her real name and sneaks into the master's office to get the slave record book, she tears out the page with her name and sends it over seas. Then a wonderful young lady, who loves to read and loves her father and his adventures, finds this bottle and hides it then when things go bad and her best friend is accused of stealing by her stepmother she puts her mother's necklace that was supposed to be given to her in the bottle, she keeps the peach pit, and gives her friend the bottle and tells him to go and sell the necklace for money and throw the bottle in the sea when he gets to another place. then an irish immigrant finds it and when her boss is about to be robbed even if the girl is small she bangs it on the guys head and saves them, but her little sister is terribly sick and might even die, so she gets the necklace from the bottle and sells it to a store keeper and buys the medicine, and somewhere along the way she earns a dollar coin, which she uses to may for her uniform when she gets a scholar ship to her dream school, also this young lady loves to write, she has a big book where she keeps her stories and poems. then one of her stories get published and bones ends up reading the poem "Agnes may and me" and wonders where else her bottle has been. Then when the little immigrant goes to see the necklace it turns out it was bought, by none other than the wealthy's best friend who sent it in a letter to her saying "S, for safe" and all turns out reasonably well, even if her father was lost on one of his expeditions, in truth they all still have problems but all turns out decent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2016
This book is the best thing I've read in a long time. Once again, I have so little time to read because I'm so busy with school and everything, so when I do get my hands on a good book, I can't put it down. So there goes my Friday that I had off of school to clean and do my homework.
Anyway, the book was amazing. I loved all the subtle connections, like how each of them had someone they looked up to who had the books about "exotic lands," and how the magazine was a key part in all of the girls' lives. I also loved Harry, and at first I was like, okay, so this is going to turn into a romance between him and Bess. But wait, isn't she twelve? And then Elsie accused him of stealing the house's possessions and I was just like, what??? AND THEN IT WAS ELSIE!!! And I loved when they helped him escape, but then Bess had lost her father figure and I thought that may have predicted that she would lose her real father too, just like Bones did. But then Harry survived, and somehow made it to America and FOUND THE NECKLACE FOR HER!!!! Because Mary Margaret decided to sell it, and it was in that pawn shop and Harry came in! And then I'm almost positive that Harry was the "Yankee" who brought Bones the article about the war, and more importantly, the Merry's Museum Magazine with the article from Mary Margaret. Omg the connections and plot twists and everything were just so intense, and every time I hoped to put the book down and do something, I couldn't.
Anyway, the book was amazing. I loved all the subtle connections, like how each of them had someone they looked up to who had the books about "exotic lands," and how the magazine was a key part in all of the girls' lives. I also loved Harry, and at first I was like, okay, so this is going to turn into a romance between him and Bess. But wait, isn't she twelve? And then Elsie accused him of stealing the house's possessions and I was just like, what??? AND THEN IT WAS ELSIE!!! And I loved when they helped him escape, but then Bess had lost her father figure and I thought that may have predicted that she would lose her real father too, just like Bones did. But then Harry survived, and somehow made it to America and FOUND THE NECKLACE FOR HER!!!! Because Mary Margaret decided to sell it, and it was in that pawn shop and Harry came in! And then I'm almost positive that Harry was the "Yankee" who brought Bones the article about the war, and more importantly, the Merry's Museum Magazine with the article from Mary Margaret. Omg the connections and plot twists and everything were just so intense, and every time I hoped to put the book down and do something, I couldn't.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2015
I really enjoy reading middle-school historical fiction, especially one's that feature fierce girls fighting for their place in the world. Currents fits the bill and it brought to life three girls, one who is brutalized and two mistreated and dominated through unjust life circumstances. I am glad the author started with Bones, the slave girl who is whipped and abused for trying to learn to read and find her name in birth records. It was critical for Bones to know her name at a time when slave's names were changed as they were bought and sold. She wanted to have a place in the world for her and her family and by putting her first it allowed her name to be front and center. It also set up the rest of the book as we also learn the life stories of two other girls who also find a way to maintain their dignity through political oppression and harsh family circumstances. I felt for each girl and their pain and admired their fortitude.
While I was fairly immersed in most of the book, I think this book is for students who are already readers. At times it was a bit dry and moved slowly and I thought that it required an ability to "stick to it" to finish it.
Overall, often heartbreaking, often uplifting Currents is real and deeply told. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.
While I was fairly immersed in most of the book, I think this book is for students who are already readers. At times it was a bit dry and moved slowly and I thought that it required an ability to "stick to it" to finish it.
Overall, often heartbreaking, often uplifting Currents is real and deeply told. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.
November 24, 2015
Currents reminds me of the American Girl, My America and other similar series. The novel is the story of three young girls who lives could not be more different, yet are entwined by fate. Agnes May, also known as Bones, is a slave on a plantation in the South. She begins to learn life lessons no child should get. She realizes she is property. She finds out her real name and her nickname. She learns how cruel life could be, but decides to make sure her name is remembered.
Across the sea, Bess is a daughter to a Duke and has an adventurous spirit. She finds a bottle in the ocean and wonders about Agnes May, the bottle's original owner. Like Agnes May, Bess is learning her own life lessons. Some sweet while others are painful. By the time the bottle leaves her, it has a new item and history.
Lastly, the bottle is found by Mary Margaret, an Irish girl, living in the American North. A gifted storyteller, Mary Margaret has learned the tough lessons of life started by the Potato Famine and poverty. Mary is determined to make the best and in the end, she ties the story together.
I must admit the biggest drawback of this book is it stops. I hope this is just one in a series, so I can read more about Bones, Bess, and Mary Margaret.
This reviews is from an ebook version provided through Netgalley.
Across the sea, Bess is a daughter to a Duke and has an adventurous spirit. She finds a bottle in the ocean and wonders about Agnes May, the bottle's original owner. Like Agnes May, Bess is learning her own life lessons. Some sweet while others are painful. By the time the bottle leaves her, it has a new item and history.
Lastly, the bottle is found by Mary Margaret, an Irish girl, living in the American North. A gifted storyteller, Mary Margaret has learned the tough lessons of life started by the Potato Famine and poverty. Mary is determined to make the best and in the end, she ties the story together.
I must admit the biggest drawback of this book is it stops. I hope this is just one in a series, so I can read more about Bones, Bess, and Mary Margaret.
This reviews is from an ebook version provided through Netgalley.
October 6, 2015
Smolik successfully links the stories of three very different girls, representing different historical and social aspects of the mid-1800s, by using the ‘message in a bottle’ device with a twist. The artifacts added by the girls are important indicators of their social statuses (a slave and a lady); Mary Margaret’s use of one artifact to improve her family’s lot also involves her place in society. As the girls are from varying classes and different years within the same decade, Smolik can explore a huge variety of historical events, including slavery and the Irish potato famine. The girls are also connected in that they all read a magazine from the time period called Merry’s Museum. In addition to the book’s clever format, the narratives are written in an engaging way, the characters are well-developed and relatable, and their stories contain plenty of action and adventure. Give this book to kids in grades 4-6 who have previously enjoyed the Dear America series or other historical fiction.
June 12, 2016
In the mid 1800s, Bones, a young slave girl in Virginia, puts her birth document in a bottle and sets it in the James River. The bottle floats to the Isle of Wight in England, where Bess, a well-to-do girl who wants to be an explorer, finds it. She places a necklace in it and sets the bottle afloat. This time, it follows the current back to the U.S. to Boston. Mary Margaret, who finds the bottle, needs the money that the necklace brings at a pawnshop to support her ailing sister. Finally, the necklace is purchased and is returned to Bess in England. Each girl has her own separate book in the story with the dramas that unfold in their respective lives. I liked this story and couldn't wait to see how it all would be worked out. Not all loose ends were resolved, but enough of them were that it made for a satisfying ending. Many coincidences made the book hard to believe, but fans of historical fiction will enjoy reading about girls their own age in challenging times.
November 28, 2015
Nice mid-grade novel, all the main characters are likeable enough (but sometimes feel a bit cookie-cutter) and the disparate plots lines are tied together fairly well without feeling really contrived. I like the use of reading material, it makes a great connection. The story starts out slow for each character but improves as each hit their stride.
I wish the pace had been a little steadier, because the quick looks at different lives in one era tied serendipitously could have really grabbed indifferent readers and perhaps encouraged a little outside research. I feel that this book is fairly interesting but more for already committed readers.
I wish the pace had been a little steadier, because the quick looks at different lives in one era tied serendipitously could have really grabbed indifferent readers and perhaps encouraged a little outside research. I feel that this book is fairly interesting but more for already committed readers.
July 31, 2016
This is a beautiful story cleverly interwoven as three. It's a story fraught with danger, loss, adventure, and hope. Three girls in three very different situations, are all connected by a bottle. Yet as each piece of their story unfolds they do have something in common. All three know the sting of loved one's deaths. All three have great hopes and dreams for a better future. All three unwittingly helped each other. All because of some currents and a bottle. I enjoyed how Jane gave just enough of information at the end to "wet my whistle" while still leaving room for imagination.
January 2, 2016
I really enjoyed this book about how the lives of 3 young girls in 1854 are connected by a message in a bottle that travels to each of them. It is a good way to introduce historical fiction from 3 different perspectives--a slave girl, a wealthy heiress in England, and a poor Irish immigrant in Boston. There are many other small ways their stories are connected, showing how similar people's lives can be even when they seem very different.
June 28, 2019
Phenomenal book. I found myself enthralled by every character in this book, I couldn't put it down! Smolik really takes you into the life of these three girls and accurately represents what the time period was like. Although it may seem like it might be a sad story it is indeed a very happy one with a few bumps along the way. I'm very happy my grandma recommended this book to me and I highly recommend it to anyone else looking to be lost in a story not too far from home.
May 30, 2016
This story follows the lives of three girls whose stories are connected by a bottle thrown into the sea. The device works well, and all the stories are equally interesting (which isn't always the case in books like this one). The writing is excellent, and it's interesting to see how different three lives at various places in the same era can be. An appealing historical fiction debut.
December 19, 2021
Delightful! Three young girls' lives are bound together as a series of events affect them all, beginning when one of the girls places her most precious item into a bottle and sets it adrift. Suitable for young readers up to about 12 years old, this historically accurate novel is engaging and exciting to read.
March 11, 2016
Three young girls, a slave in Virginia, an heiress in England and an a Irish immigrant in Boston all are connected by a bottle drifting in the ocean. I really enjoyed their stories and the small connections between them.
April 25, 2016
I loved this book and so did my 9 yo granddaughter. Each of the girls and her story was appealing. Although the links established between the girls were not realistic, I liked the way they tied the story together. We both hope that Jane Smolik writes many more books!
July 5, 2016
I love historic fiction and this is a wonderful selection for middle grades. It's so well researched and gives the audience a glimpse of three girls in 3 very different cultural settings during the same time period.
August 29, 2016
Intriguing story of three girls united by a message in a bottle. Upper grade school and middle school kids will love the story. I loved the way the bottle drifted across the ocean with a message, then returned with the same message and a cross to unite three girls and their families.
January 21, 2018
This is now one of my all-time favorite books. I love how all of the three characters became indirectly linked. Although from different parts of the world, each character learned to live with and deal with the injustices of life, and overcome through character and perseverance.
August 24, 2020
Three girls never met, yet they change each other's lives.
I really liked this book! The three backgrounds and the many characters were interesting and cool to read about. I feel like there was still a lot unanswered, but maybe that's how it was supposed to be.
I really liked this book! The three backgrounds and the many characters were interesting and cool to read about. I feel like there was still a lot unanswered, but maybe that's how it was supposed to be.
August 25, 2022
The book follows the lives of three different girls all connected by a bottle that is set adrift. My 11 year old daughter and I both loved this story. Historical fiction is at its best when woven into a really good story and the author has accomplished this. We’re hoping for a sequel!
May 4, 2015
Using a glass bottle across the Atlantic, these characters share the stories of their lives. I enjoyed getting to know them.
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