Water Rat

by Marnie Laird, Andrea Shine (Illustrator)

In 1748 fourteen-year-old Matt, orphaned, crippled, teased by other boys and abused by the man he works for, seeks refuge with a surgeon's family and finds that he is well-equipped to help protect them from pirates on Delaware Bay.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

185 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[Julie G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while I feel honored to write a book review, honored to bring a little more attention to a more obscure read.

This is one of those times.

Water Rat by Marnie Laird is a story I'd never have encountered in my life had I not agreed to take on a second “Read Across America” challenge with my two daughters.

The pickings for middle grades fiction taking place in Delaware were slim, so stumbling upon this gem was a situational happenstance only. At the risk of sounding corny, we came very close to not knowing this book, and the thought of never having discovered it otherwise makes me want to cry.

From the first three pages I knew two things immediately: (1) this book was too mature for my 9-year-old and (2) my 12-year-old and I were in for a treat.

So, who's Marnie Laird, the author? I have no idea, and a Google search produced almost nothing for me. I only know that at the time this book was published (1998), Ms. Laird was a resident of both Delaware and Florida and she had once been some type of “historic guide” in New Castle, Delaware.

I can only tell you this: her prose is sharp, fast-moving, and alive. A middle grades novel weighing in at 186 pages is spot-on (I can tell you this, having read far too many overly long books to my girls), and I don't think she wasted a single word here.

The protagonist, “Matt,” is so real, so flawed, so compelling, he reminded me, almost immediately, of two of Robert Louis Stevenson's young male heroes: Jim Hawkins of Treasure Island and David Balfour of Kidnapped.

And, let's not stop there with the comparison to Stevenson's coming-of-age fiction. Let me add that all three stories involve seaside adventures, pirates, and a similar time period: the mid-1700s.

Hot damn, I loved every page! Marshlands, waterfowl, pirates, unfounded accusations, and a wronged protagonist for whom most things go wrong.

This is a modern book with an old setting that will certainly teach kids more about the origins of the American Revolution than any dry textbook ever will, and it may make you feel like you just opened a fresh pack of chewing gum, too. Bubbles await you.

Fair warning, though, ye mateys. . . there's a murder here (and a graphic scene with the dead body), a home invasion and some verbal bullying.

I think readers would do best to celebrate their twelfth birthdays before starting this one.

Ms. Laird, whoever you are, wherever you are, we thank you for this adventure and thanks for reminding me that it's time to take my girls to Treasure Island, too!

Free download of Water Rat

[Jmlanier1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel takes place in the mid 1700’s. It is the story of a young orphaned boy named Matt with a bad leg who lives and works for a crooked tavern owner named Eli. He witnesses Eli commit a crime against a customer and is forced to flee the only home he knows. He befriends a doctor and his family and ends up saving the doctor’s children from pirates before assisting in capturing the pirates. This was a decent time period novel but there are many better choices in this young adult genre. For instance, The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox.

[Colin Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it.

[Breya T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how Matt defeats Eli in the end - it shows you that he's not scared of him anymore.