Seaborn

by Craig Moodie

“THE BOAT IS SINKING. YOU HAVE TO MOVE.” When Luke’s sailing trip goes horribly wrong, he must face the vast and brutal sea in this story of one boy’s survival and coming-of-age. On the evening before Luke’s family’s annual summer sailing trip off Cape Cod, Luke’s mother leaves. Luke is left with his angry, confused father on a small boat for a week and the trip goes horribly wrong when a summer storm sweeps Luke’s father overboard. Not knowing whether his father is dead or alive, Luke must figure out how to survive on a wrecked sailboat far out to sea. Fans of Gary Paulsen and Will Hobbs will be captivated by Craig Moodie’s depiction of the North Atlantic in this coming-of-age adventure.

Genres: Young Adult, Adventure, Survival, Fiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2008

About the author

Craig Moodie is a writer with a sailing habit. He has worked as a deckhand on commercial fishing vessels in the waters off Cape Cod and as an advertising copywriter in agencies in New York City and Boston. He now toils as a creative director and promotional writer to support his family and his vocation as a fiction writer—and to keep a small catboat in varnish and paint.
He is the author of The Sea Singer, Seaborn, and Into the Trap, as well as several works of adult fiction.
He lives in Franklin, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Gregory Hyun]

Seaborn by Craig Moodie is a book of adventure followed by the mental struggles of the protagonist, Luke. It was as if Luke was lost in captivity and was far from freedom. In the beginning of the book, Luke, his father and mother were about to go on their annual trip out in the ocean. But for a reason never revealed, his mother left him and his father. Enraged at his father, hurt by his mother and just mentally confused overall, it was hard for Luke to embrace this whole situation. In addition, Luke was trying to bring back his faded love with Ginnie. Anyhow, his father decided to go on the trip with Luke for a stress relief. Reluctant at first, Luke slowly followed along but had no choice but to make the most of the trip. However, Luke's father gets washed away and leaves and Luke ends up being alone. The will to survive matures Luke as a character as you will see his personality slowly unfold. Also, the theme is very well developed, it gives a sense of maturation and the overcoming of obstacles in life. Reading this book, I had much to relate. Just like Luke in the start of the story, I am a teenager who is yet to mature and grow. I've faced some hardships which only helped me to strengthen. So, I strongly recommend this compelling novel to adolescents, especially ones that are struggling, for it will help them to realize and embrace themselves by a view of a different perspective in a similar position. Finally, coming from a great author like Craig Moodie, I can assure that this novel will be an enjoyable page turner to many.

[Kaylee · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't that good in my opinion. The author spent more than half of the book on their life and not on the boat. On the third sentence, there is a typo which really isn't that cool. But overall, I like the setting and imagery the author used.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luke's not exactly sure how things got so off-track with his girlfriend Ginnie, but he's sick of feeling tied down. His parents make all the decisions and Luke just longs for the Big Freedom. When Luke's mom makes the decision to walk out on their family, Luke and his dad take their annual sailing trip alone. Two men in a boat, not great at communicating with each other but both looking for something. And when Luke is put to the ultimate test, will he have what it takes to face his Big Freedom and come out alive?

Nice character development at the beginning leads into an action-packed sea adventure. Moodie plops the reader right down in the middle of the story with the first event in the book being Luke's mom leaving the family. Maybe that's why I felt like I never fully got to know the characters.

A nice adventure story that will appeal to fans of Hatchet and other survival tales, but just shy of being great.

Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/200...

[Christopher Seifert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the fact I found a typo in the third sentence of this book, there is much to admire here. Moodie is undoubtedly a gifted writer, and his passion for his subject (he describes himself as "seastruck" on the book's inside jacket) comes through loud and clear. He is knowledgeable about sailing, his descriptions are often vivid, and his characters seem like real people. The trouble is those characters manage to be so darn unlikeable. Luke, the story's protagonist, is a prickly teenager, who is dealing with his parents' separation and prone to temper tantrums. Luke's father too is a character riddled with faults. Even though calamity stretches these two to their limits, the reader is left with the impression that neither one quite gets over the hump, and, in fact, the book's final pages reveal just how fallible Luke's father really is. I'm not saying I expect everything to be all smiles in the fiction I read, I just wish this journey of self-discovery could have been a little more satisfying -- for the characters and for the reader.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having been into sailing for a long time, I'm pretty sure I like this sort of adventure story more than most. I'm always hoping I'll find a book that I'm eager to share with my patrons, but unfortunately Seaborn doesn't quite rise to that level. It's not bad, but three stars pretty much tells the story. I didn't care enough about Luke, probably because he seems to be constantly wallowing in his misery. He has plenty to be miserable about, but it gets tiresome. Details done wrong can also detract from a narrative. As an example, when different types of boats (and they don't get much different than an inflated life raft and a full-keel sailboat) are drifting in the ocean under any conditions, they move very differently. In a howling wind they will separate very quickly and have approximately zero chance of ever seeing each other again. A detail, I know, but it could have been done realistically with very little trouble.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often read teen and juvenile books to keep up with what's out there. I thoroughly enjoyed this one about the difficult relationships of a young man as his family goes through changes.

Out on the ocean, alone is a sail boat, through a storm, he begins to see how much courage he has and how much he loves his family, even with all that has happened.

[Nathan Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke hates sailing with his father and when his mom leaves, he is forced to go on a sailing trip with his frustrated and confused father. He thinks it can't get worst, but it does when a storm blows in. The ship is damaged, Luke is weak, and he is lost at sea... without his dad. Not knowing if his father is dead or alive, Luke must figure out how to survive alone in the Atlantic.

[Caitlín K · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can tell the author really knows boats (wow, an accurate YA sailing novel!) and the ocean, and loves the sea. I think he has a lot of potential as an author, but he hasn't quite gotten into it yet.

[Kenneth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my type of book.The plot was a bit boring. The plot was basically about a boy named Luke was stranded on the ocean abandon by his dad. Nothing really happen. All he did was just eat and try to get the boat to star. Overall this book is not bad.It's ok.

[Rjgolden · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book Seaborn, a young man named Luke is needing freedom. Freedom from his troubled family and troubled life. This story is great for middle school students. The problems with Luke's life and being lost at sea bring him to a realization and contentment with his troubles.

[LibraryLaur · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be reviewed in LMC...but basically I was pretty darn bored with this one.

[Madison P · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good but it was kind of slow for my taste but it was awesome at the end

[Austin]

it was okay

[Jake Gebo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good