This story is about a teenager, Nathan, who lives in a remote part of coastal Washington. When a ship wrecks and the lone survivor goes missing, Nathan becomes suspicious, but no one will take him seriously. Soon more strange things begin to happen and it's up to Nathan to solve the mystery.
The plot is fast packed, but a bit slow at the beginning. Some of the pacing issues seem to come from the fact that the history aspect and mystery aspect of the story aren't blended together very well (Horn Book Guide). The main conflict is introduced early when we find out there might be a shipwreck survivor, but nobody really believes Nathan. It isn't until Nathan finds the ghost canoe and thinks he sees a man in the cave, that the pacing really picks up (Hobbs 62). This climax comes when Kane tries to kill Lighthouse George and then tries to escape with the gold. The resolution occurs quickly when Kane falls to his death and we found out that Lighthouse George retrieved the gold.
The main character of this story is Nathan. He�s somewhat unbelievable because he appears to have no faults other than his minor disobedience when he decides to venture in the woods though he�s been warned it�s dangerous. Other than this, he seems completely selfless. The book opens with him risking his life on top of the lighthouse in order to keep the light from going out (Hobbs 5). I realize this book was set in the past where teenagers behaved differently than they do today, but even so, he seems a little too good to be true. He is revealed mainly through his actions but also through his thoughts and dialogue with others. Many of the minor characters play important roles in the story. My favorite character is Lighthouse George. He is strong and good-hearted, but not invincible, as we see when he is seriously injured while whaling. Dolla Bill is another minor character that plays an important role. Even though he is a grown man, he often acts like he�s no older than five years. He is irritating and a troublemaker, but redeems himself in the end when he gives his life to save Lighthouse George (Hobbs 178). Kane is the stereotypical bad guy. He acts charming and personable, but we soon find out that he�s evil deep down. He cares nothing for human life and cares only about money. We see this through his actions. He kills the captain in order to find the treasure all for himself, and thinks nothing of killing Nathan, Dolla Bill or Lighthouse George to get the treasure.
The setting is extremely important. The story is set sometime in the past that isn�t specified. Just to hazard a guess, I�d say late 1800�s or so. The story takes place in a remote part of the coast of Washington state. This setting is important because so much of the plot is dependent on this isolation from the rest of the world. Nathan�s sick mother must wait weeks or months for the doctor to come by. The island has no law enforcement of its own so they have to call in someone from the mainland which takes awhile. It really adds to Kane�s power as well. It�s like he knows that there�s nobody around who has the power to stop him.
I�m not sure what the main theme of this story is. Friendship is obviously important � the friendship between Nathan and Lighthouse George is a big part of the book. Lighthouse George is almost like a second father to Nathan. There is also a bond between the rest of Nathan�s family and the Makah tribe that is important. We see how generous and kind the members of the Makah tribe are to their neighboring tribe and to Nathan's family. Their generosity is always rewarded. There is also the classic good verses evil theme going on in this book. Characters like Nathan and Lighthouse George are totally good. Kane is evil. This theme isn�t quite as clear cut as the friendship theme though, because many of the characters are a little bit of both, such as Dolla Bill and the Captain.
This story is told in third person point of view with a narrator that knows what Nathan alone is thinking and feeling. This is unusual for a young adult novel, as most of them are told in first person point of view. The tone is rarely light in this story. Even when Nathan isn�t worrying about a potential murderer, he�s battling with the rough weather or the angry sea. Most of the book has a serious tone because we see the characters struggling to survive in this harsh environment. One of the lighter scenes occurs when Nathan is going to visit his father and has a basket of goodies that his mother has baked. He stops by to see the Captain and offers him a sweet roll. The captain then proceeds to eat almost all of the sweet rolls in the basket (Hobbs 25).
This is �a robust adventure in an intriguing setting� (Kirkus Reviews). I think this story will appeal to boys more than it will to girls, but could be a great tool to get boys reading.
Horn Book Guide. 1997. Horn Book Guide. In Books in Print [database online]. Available from
http://www.booksinprint.com/bip. Accessed 17 October 2004.
Kirkus Reviews. 1997. Kirkus Reviews. In Books in Print [database online]. Available from
http://www.booksinprint.com/bip. Accessed 17 October 2004.
