Schooners Revenge, The

Fourteen-year-old Ben Random has always been drawn to the ships that skim the blue waters of Lake Ontario off the shores of York, the capital of Upper Canada. But his dream of serving on a R oyal Navy vessel is dashed by a gut-wrenching fear: Ben is too terrified of heights to see himself scaling any war ship's mast. But Ben'sanxiety is the last thing on his mind when on April 26, 1813, a flotilla of American ships invades York and his father is asked to lead a rescue mission to save a key fort on Lake Michigan. N ow Ben is thrilled to take part in an impossibly daring plan to outwit the Americans and deliver supplies to Fort Mackinac-before its inhabitants are captured or die from starvation. Blinding blizzards, crushing ice floes and daring cat-and-mouse manoeuvres around the enemy challenge Ben's strength anddetermination. But when he's suddenly called upon in the ultimate test to save a critical supply ship, the Nancy, his fear looms as large as the hopes of those who are desperately counting on him.

Based on a little-known episode during the War of 1812, The Schooner's Revenge is an action-packed adventure, crackling with plot twists, explosions, treachery and courage-destined to be a hit with middle readers everywhere.