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Thunder From the Sea: The Adventures of Jack Hoyton and the H.M.S. Defender
Illustrated in comic-book format with detailed informational sidebars, this high-concept hybrid is a fast-paced action-adventure, like a Patrick O'Brian novel for kids! Jack Hoyton is just a boy when he enlists in the Royal Navy and is assigned to the HMS Defender, a midsized frigate defending the British Isles from invasion by the French emperor Napoleon. Little could have prepared him for the hard work and danger of life on the high seas, or for the strict military discipline aboard the ship during wartime. While blockading a French port, the crew of the Defender gets into more trouble than they planned for when they are betrayed during an excursion ashore. It is up to Jack to free his imprisoned shipmates and warn the Defender that they are headed into a deadly trap!
48 pages, Hardcover
First published May 13, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 30, 2010
Kids don't pretend to be sailors anymore. Did they ever? I think so. There must have been a time when the lure of seaside battles against a hated enemy stirred something proud and deep in the heart of your average child reader. Mind you, I suspect that it's a British inclination. Perhaps in the heyday of John Paul Jones Yankee children would reenact fights above the briny deep but these days if kids do pretend to be sailors, they pretend to be pirates (thank YOU Pirates of the Caribbean). Into this pirate-loving culture plunges Jeff Weigel and his remarkable Thunder from the Sea. It's as if he made a dare with himself. Not only would he create a book about the Royal Navy battling it out with Napoleon's seaside forces, not only would he make that book a graphic novel, and not ONLY would that graphic novel contain tons of factual information about early 19th century seafaring ways, but he'd also put in enough battles and fight scenes to make it worth a reluctant reader's while. Kids are bugging you for more pirate books? Throw this puppy their way. By the time they realize there isn't a peg legged man to be found it'll be too late. They'll be hooked, and if you read it yourself, so will you.
Jack Hoyton probably had romantic visions of heroism and derring-do when he enlisted as a member of the British Royal Navy. Hardly more than a kid, those dreams were knocked flat pretty fast. Day in the navy consist of plain hard work, no bones about it. It takes Jack a while to get a feel for the job, but he does just in time for some skirmishes with the French. Soon it looks as though his HMS Defender may have a hand in turning the tide against Napoleon's own seagoing vessels. That is, unless they fall into a trap created by one of their own traitorous sailors. Factual information about life on the sea appears in the sidebars of each page. A Bibliography and Recommended Reading list appears at the book's close.
The balance between story and fact must have been difficult for Weigel to get a handle on. For one thing, he needed to parcel out the factual information in such a way that the sidebars never overwhelmed the reader and always applied to something being discussed. On top of that, there has to be a compelling tale at work here. You need to really believe in the trials of Jack Hoyton, even as he makes mistakes and figures out what "doing your duty" actually means. Weigel actually manages to do all of this. The format of the book helps him to a certain extent. While the picture book sized 8.8" X 11.2" may turn off some potential readers (no 10-year-old wants to be mistaken for reading something intended for a 5-year-old crowd) others will get past that initial hurdle and discover that thanks to its horizontal layout there's plenty of room for all the facts and story Weigel's packed in here.
Americans are always put in a kind of a funny spot when we read historical moments in British history that happen to include an Irishman or Welshman or Scot. Our natural inclination is to be sympathetic to that person, since our own country is deeply rooted in rooting OUT the Brits. Part of what I like about Weigel's story is that he exploits that natural sympathy. The bad guy here (spoiler alert, folks) turns out to be Irish and you understand why he's doing what he's doing. On the other hand, our hero Jack makes it perfectly clear why revenging yourself on a nation becomes a tricky proposition when the lives of good men are about to be lost.
As for the art itself, Weigel's been cutting this teeth on comics for years. His is a clean lined style, very distinctive, which has served him well in superhero picture books like Atomic Ace: He's Just My Dad. That superhero feel adapts nicely to this work of historical fiction, surprisingly enough. Sometimes an artist will be far more comfortable drawing his characters in moments of leisure. Other times, that artist might specialize in action instead. Weigel has the rare and rather desirable ability of balancing both downtime and bloody gory action in this book, never overwhelming the reader with one or another. It's a pity that the book was colored on a computer, but as computer coloring goes this title is less offensive to the eyeballs than, say, the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel. Weigel keeps to a muted palette of blues, reds, and yellows, giving the images a very nice feel.
If I've any objection to the book, it may center on the Recommended Reading section at the story's end. I have a hard time believing that any child finishing this book is going to want to pick up the 1966 Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C.S. Forester or Patrick O'Brian's 1970 Master and Commander, though I have been known to be wrong. Still, it would make far more sense to suggest more recent titles like Susan Cooper's Victory or even something a little American like that neat biography by Michael L. Cooper (folks named "Cooper" love to write this stuff) Hero of the High Seas: John Paul Jones and the American Revolution. While O'Brian and Forester might make fun books, a slightly more contemporary (and age appropriate) series of selections would not have been out of place.
Of course we've nothing like this book in my library. And truth be told, I've never been asked for a graphic novel on historical Napoleonic sea battles. That said, I have gotten requests from kids on books that involve sailing in some way. Now when they ask for me for such things, I'll be able to hand them Thunder from the Sea without a twinge of guilt. If they give it a chance, I've little doubt they'll get sucked into it. It's a world most of them have never been aware of. Virgin territory. Mr. Weigel should be proud.
For ages 8 and up.
Jack Hoyton probably had romantic visions of heroism and derring-do when he enlisted as a member of the British Royal Navy. Hardly more than a kid, those dreams were knocked flat pretty fast. Day in the navy consist of plain hard work, no bones about it. It takes Jack a while to get a feel for the job, but he does just in time for some skirmishes with the French. Soon it looks as though his HMS Defender may have a hand in turning the tide against Napoleon's own seagoing vessels. That is, unless they fall into a trap created by one of their own traitorous sailors. Factual information about life on the sea appears in the sidebars of each page. A Bibliography and Recommended Reading list appears at the book's close.
The balance between story and fact must have been difficult for Weigel to get a handle on. For one thing, he needed to parcel out the factual information in such a way that the sidebars never overwhelmed the reader and always applied to something being discussed. On top of that, there has to be a compelling tale at work here. You need to really believe in the trials of Jack Hoyton, even as he makes mistakes and figures out what "doing your duty" actually means. Weigel actually manages to do all of this. The format of the book helps him to a certain extent. While the picture book sized 8.8" X 11.2" may turn off some potential readers (no 10-year-old wants to be mistaken for reading something intended for a 5-year-old crowd) others will get past that initial hurdle and discover that thanks to its horizontal layout there's plenty of room for all the facts and story Weigel's packed in here.
Americans are always put in a kind of a funny spot when we read historical moments in British history that happen to include an Irishman or Welshman or Scot. Our natural inclination is to be sympathetic to that person, since our own country is deeply rooted in rooting OUT the Brits. Part of what I like about Weigel's story is that he exploits that natural sympathy. The bad guy here (spoiler alert, folks) turns out to be Irish and you understand why he's doing what he's doing. On the other hand, our hero Jack makes it perfectly clear why revenging yourself on a nation becomes a tricky proposition when the lives of good men are about to be lost.
As for the art itself, Weigel's been cutting this teeth on comics for years. His is a clean lined style, very distinctive, which has served him well in superhero picture books like Atomic Ace: He's Just My Dad. That superhero feel adapts nicely to this work of historical fiction, surprisingly enough. Sometimes an artist will be far more comfortable drawing his characters in moments of leisure. Other times, that artist might specialize in action instead. Weigel has the rare and rather desirable ability of balancing both downtime and bloody gory action in this book, never overwhelming the reader with one or another. It's a pity that the book was colored on a computer, but as computer coloring goes this title is less offensive to the eyeballs than, say, the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel. Weigel keeps to a muted palette of blues, reds, and yellows, giving the images a very nice feel.
If I've any objection to the book, it may center on the Recommended Reading section at the story's end. I have a hard time believing that any child finishing this book is going to want to pick up the 1966 Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C.S. Forester or Patrick O'Brian's 1970 Master and Commander, though I have been known to be wrong. Still, it would make far more sense to suggest more recent titles like Susan Cooper's Victory or even something a little American like that neat biography by Michael L. Cooper (folks named "Cooper" love to write this stuff) Hero of the High Seas: John Paul Jones and the American Revolution. While O'Brian and Forester might make fun books, a slightly more contemporary (and age appropriate) series of selections would not have been out of place.
Of course we've nothing like this book in my library. And truth be told, I've never been asked for a graphic novel on historical Napoleonic sea battles. That said, I have gotten requests from kids on books that involve sailing in some way. Now when they ask for me for such things, I'll be able to hand them Thunder from the Sea without a twinge of guilt. If they give it a chance, I've little doubt they'll get sucked into it. It's a world most of them have never been aware of. Virgin territory. Mr. Weigel should be proud.
For ages 8 and up.
January 8, 2013
I thought this book was amazing and I really recommend it, the book Thunder from the Sea adventure on board the HMS Defender was one of the very few books that I actually found surprising, short, and still fun to read. Such as when one of the crew members turns on the crew with quite a good reason and the boy has to save the crew from the jail because of that certain members doings. The desperateness of the crew surprised me too considering that it got a 12 year old boy into the military. It was also surprising that they turned out to find the heart of the enemies resources. I highly recommend this book for any one that likes adventure. I also admire the boys bravery because I would've not been able to do any of this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2010
The more I think of this one the better it becomes. Dashing adventure on the high seas has never been quite as tangible as it is here. Young Jack Hoyton has found himself serving on a British vessel bound for French waters. Their goal is to find any French ships that may make an attempt at storming Britain. While serving, Jack finds that sea life isn't as glamorous as he's heard, but it is strangely fulfilling. Then he finds an insidious plot that may mean the death of every man on the ship. Weigel fits in true facts about the sailing life in the margins of his story, telling a tale that has truly never been seen quite like this before. It's a hoot and a holler and a lot of fun as well. A book for historical fiction and graphic novel fans alike. - B
October 8, 2012
Five String and Five Ball sat down with this the other day and they couldn't put it down. Five String loved the historical facts on the sidebars of each page and Five Ball loved the action depicted in the wonderful illustration. A great book to introduce readers to historical naval battles.
April 13, 2011
kids absolutely loved this graphic novel style history of the HMS defender
December 8, 2017
I would suggest this book for ages 11-14. In this book, young Jack joins a Navy ship, where some doubt his capabilities. However, an intense battle gives Jack a chance to prove himself. This books has themes of loyalty, honor, respect, and courage.
January 2, 2011
Reason for Reading: This is a Cybils '10 nominee and required reading for me as a graphic novels panelist.
This book is a bit unique in it's presentation. First, it is oversized like a picture book. Then it tells a fictional tale about life aboard a mid size ship during the Napoleonic Wars. Jack is a 12 yo orphan (mostly) who is sent to work in the navy and this ship's job is to patrol the waters protecting England from French invasion. They meet up with more than they expected when they come across a hidden French boatyard and are attacked by a French Man-o-War and betrayed by a spy amongst them. While the story is fictional each page has a sidebar with non-fiction information relating to information found on that page. These tidbits of trivia range from definitions of items such as a "frigate" or "bosun" to describing in further detail concepts such as "impressment" or "Beat to Quarters" to more detailed histories of "relations between the Irish and English" or "how the French Army conscription workers".
The story itself is entertaining and makes wide use of various differing frames from full page to tall thin rectangles to the occasional circle. I found the non-fiction information more entertaining than the story though. But my main problem was that the sidebars consistently interrupted the flow of the story. I recommend reading the story straight through the first time ignoring the sidebars just to be able to enjoy the action-packed story of a boy third class's life aboard ship and a battle at sea during the Napoleonic Wars. Then go back a second time reading the sidebars either alone or as you re-read the story for the non-fiction historical aspect.
I'm not sure how well this book would do as one kids would choose for themselves, but it would be perfect used in the classroom or homeschool and is certainly a library recommended have.
This book is a bit unique in it's presentation. First, it is oversized like a picture book. Then it tells a fictional tale about life aboard a mid size ship during the Napoleonic Wars. Jack is a 12 yo orphan (mostly) who is sent to work in the navy and this ship's job is to patrol the waters protecting England from French invasion. They meet up with more than they expected when they come across a hidden French boatyard and are attacked by a French Man-o-War and betrayed by a spy amongst them. While the story is fictional each page has a sidebar with non-fiction information relating to information found on that page. These tidbits of trivia range from definitions of items such as a "frigate" or "bosun" to describing in further detail concepts such as "impressment" or "Beat to Quarters" to more detailed histories of "relations between the Irish and English" or "how the French Army conscription workers".
The story itself is entertaining and makes wide use of various differing frames from full page to tall thin rectangles to the occasional circle. I found the non-fiction information more entertaining than the story though. But my main problem was that the sidebars consistently interrupted the flow of the story. I recommend reading the story straight through the first time ignoring the sidebars just to be able to enjoy the action-packed story of a boy third class's life aboard ship and a battle at sea during the Napoleonic Wars. Then go back a second time reading the sidebars either alone or as you re-read the story for the non-fiction historical aspect.
I'm not sure how well this book would do as one kids would choose for themselves, but it would be perfect used in the classroom or homeschool and is certainly a library recommended have.
March 11, 2016
This one reminded me a bit of "The Whole Story" series with the facts in the sidebar. I really enjoyed both the story and the informational bits that were added. I wish books like this were around when I was in school. I would have enjoyed History SO much more!
April 8, 2014
Great book for boys who enjoy history and nautical themes. Also includes interesting factual tables on every page.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews