Cooper, Susan Victory, 208 p. Simon Schuster –

Sam has been forcefully enlisted onto Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson’s flag ship just before the battle of Trafalgar. It was a situation he had no control over, and now he finds himself in the midst of a dangerous and exciting adventure.

Molly, on the other hand, has relocated with her mother and step family from her beloved London to Connecticut. The move has been difficult for her, and she is suffering from a severe case of homesickness.

The two young people’s stories converge when Molly discovers a piece of Admiral Nelson’s history that has been preserved by Sam between the pages of a book. It is a moment that changes their lives and brings them closer together.

Books about sailing ships and sea battles seem to be highly popular in many libraries. If this is also the case in your library, then this particular book will无疑 be a great addition.

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Victory by Susan Cooper is an enchanting tale that revolves around two children with seemingly disparate lives, yet both face challenges that truly put their toughness and optimism to the test.

The story beautifully unfolds the extraordinary lives of Molly Jennings and Sam Robbins. Molly, living in modern times, is uprooted from her beloved London and forced to move to America with her mother. This is a huge disruption to her young life.

On the other hand, Sam's adventure commences in 1806 when he is recruited onto the HMS Victory. Here, he has to grapple with seasickness, homesickness, and the ever-present specter of death in war.

As Molly endeavors to assimilate into American culture, the commander of HMS Victory is on a mission to search for the French. Meanwhile, the plot gradually reveals a mysterious connection between the sailor boy and the immigrant girl.

Susan Cooper masterfully constructs the characters' courage and self-determination throughout their childhoods, making it easy for the reader to form a deep connection with them.

Despite being in completely different situations, Sam and Molly share abundant similarities. Their characters may seem opposite, but they possess a perfect balance of outgoingness and adaptability, which enables them to thrive in their new and often difficult environments.

Cooper does an outstanding job of crafting a story that is not only relatable but also highly inspiring for young adults. She skillfully blends emotion and willpower, allowing the reader to experience the same trials and triumphs as Sam and Molly. To this day, Victory remains one of my all-time favorite books.

A surprisingly good read.

The story is told in two parts. One part is set in the present day and the other is from the past.

Sam, who is only 11 years old, is forced into the British Navy. He is assigned to HMS Victory, the flagship of the British Navy. Admiral Horatio Nelson is his leader. Sam's life is tough, but he quickly develops a love for the sea and sailing. The story provides great details about sailing in the early 1800s.

The other main character in the story is Molly, a modern-day English girl who has been relocated to the U.S. when her mother remarries. She despises the U.S. and longs to return home. When she discovers an old biography of Admiral Nelson in a bookstore, it makes her feel more comfortable. The book reveals a secret: a compartment sewn into the front cover contains a piece of the flag from the Victory. Molly feels a connection to the fabric and the story of Sam Robbins. After a trip to England, she becomes almost one with him.

This book is not only a historical adventure but also a story about the power of connection and the importance of finding one's place in the world. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good story.

This was an outstanding historical fiction book.

It centered around Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson and the magnificent war ship Victory.

In 1805, during the battle at Trafalgar, Spain, he sacrificed his life while bravely fighting the French.

The story beautifully combines a great historical account with a modern-day narrative of Molly.

Molly discovers a book about Lord Nelson, and to her surprise, inside it she finds a piece of the Victory's flag hidden away.

Adding another layer to the tale is the story of a ship boy named Sam, who was actually on the Victory.

The way these different elements are interwoven makes the book truly captivating.

After reading this, I am extremely eager to explore more books written by Susan Cooper.

I have a feeling that each one will be as engaging and filled with rich historical details as this one.

It's amazing how she can bring history to life in such an interesting and accessible way.

Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves history and a good story.

An appealing timeslip story is presented by an author who is better known for her The Dark is Rising series. The narrative is split between two different time periods and characters. In the 21st century, there is Molly, a homesick English girl. She is living in Connecticut with her new, blended family. She feels a sense of displacement and longing for her homeland. On the other hand, in the 19th century, there is Sam. At the young age of 11, he was press-ganged by the British Navy. As a result, he ends up on Admiral Nelson's warship. The story weaves together the lives and experiences of these two characters from different eras, creating an engaging and captivating tale. https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...

I actually really enjoyed this book. It was truly captivating. The story took place in two distinct time frames, which added a great deal of interest and depth. Through it, I was able to learn a lot about Nelson and HMS Victory. Nelson was such a remarkable figure, with his heroic deeds and strategic brilliance. The details about HMS Victory were also fascinating. I could picture the grandeur of the ship and the challenges faced by those on board. It was like taking a journey back in time. This book not only entertained me but also educated me. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in history or just a good read.

I had to read this book for my school project and it actually turned out okay!

I thought it would be a lot worse and boring. But you know what they say, never judge a book by its cover!

This book is about a girl named Molly who has moved to America after her mother re-marries. She discovers a book about Nelson in an old bookstore. Later, she finds a scrap of the 'hms victory's' flag in the front cover. The story switches between two points of view, Molly's and Sam's.

Sam was a farm boy who was taken from his home and thrown into life in the navy with his uncle Charlie at the age of 12.

The story follows their two lives and their struggles.

My only criticism is that I think it has a little bit of a cheesy ending, but that's just my opinion!

:)

I liked the story, but it didn't have the same captivating hold on me as "The Dark is Rising" series.

One of the main issues for me was that the main character was a girl. While there was also a boy main character and I did have some enjoyment from the story, it just didn't resonate with me to the same extent.

I must admit that I may have skimmed over the girl's part. Yes, I know it was horrible of me. This could very well be the reason why I didn't like the story as much. By skimming, I didn't get the whole story and perhaps missed out on some important details and character development.

However, I did learn a lot about ships from this story. It was interesting to read about the different types of ships and their characteristics. Despite my shortcomings in fully engaging with the story, the information about ships was a valuable takeaway.

Overall, while the story had its merits, it just didn't quite hit the mark for me in the same way as other series I've read.

Seeing Susan Cooper speak recently during her book tour for Ghost Hawk brought back wonderful memories. In 2012, our family had the pleasure of reading this book aloud. It consists of two interwoven tales. One is about a modern Connecticut girl who discovers a talisman in a book at Mystic Seaport. The other is about an English cabin boy on Admiral Nelson's ship before and during the Battle of Trafalgar. This was one of the many books our son read before a trip to London and Belgium, and it was one of his favorites. It was crucial for him to understand the epic sweep of history in those places. I believe that when he climbed on the lions at Trafalgar Square, he truly "got it" because of this book. After London, we stayed with friends near Waterloo, Belgium. Since there aren't many good children's books about the Battle of Waterloo, this was the closest we could get. It was a truly sublime experience. I highly recommend this book for anyone traveling to London with children. It's also perfect for those who love Regency/Napoleonic war romances and want to share that love with their children.

I really enjoyed this book.

It offers a very interesting and unique look back into Britain during the era of sailing ships. The story is told from the perspective of an 11-year-old boy who is highly impressed with his uncle.

I also liked the girl's alternating points of view. In the present day, she has moved from the UK to the US after her widowed mother marries an American man.

The only slight disappointment for me was that I wished she could have had a more significant effect on the story in the past. Instead, she is mainly drawn into learning more about it and having occasional flashes of experiencing it.

Overall, though, it was a great read that kept my attention throughout and made me feel as if I was truly a part of both the past and present settings.

I liked it well enough, but let's face it. After reading The Dark Is Rising Sequence Collection 5 Books Set By Susan Cooper, all her other books seem a bit of a letdown.

Though The Boggart is indeed a great deal of fun. Anyway, I had read most of Cooper's books until my kids outgrew them, and then I stopped keeping up.

This particular story is a pleasant enough one. It involves a character from the past having connections to a character in the present. However, there isn't any actual time travel except perhaps a half-remembered dream at best. The story is told in an alternating fashion. There's Sam, a young boy who is forced into the British Navy and ends up on Admiral Nelson's ship, told in the first person narrative. And then there's Molly, a rather whiney girl whose mother has married an American and is struggling to adjust to her new life, told in the third person present tense.

I found the presentation to be somewhat irritating. It takes an extremely long time before there's any connection between the two stories. The idea behind the story is intriguing, but unfortunately, the payoff just wasn't there for me.

The story is about Molly, who lives in Connecticut in 2006, and Sam, who resides in England in 1803. Molly and Sam take turns narrating the chapters throughout the book, both focusing on Admiral Lord Nelson and the HMS Victory, a ship that participated in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1806.

The book begins with Molly. Her mom has recently married Carl, an American, and moved the family from England to Connecticut. Molly is extremely unhappy. She has no friends and school is about to commence. She is petrified of starting a new school and not knowing anyone. Carl takes the family on a weekend drive and they stumble upon a small bookstore. In the store, Molly feels drawn to a book about Admiral Lord Nelson, an English sailing captain. She buys it and later, accidentally discovers a small brown envelope in the spine with a swatch of fabric. The fabric is a piece of the English flag flown on the HMS Victory.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to Sam who is "pressed" into service for the English navy. This means that he and his uncle are hit over the head while walking down the street and compelled to become members of the navy. They are stationed on the HMS Victory and Sam learns the various jobs of a scab in the navy - taking care of the animals kept on board for food, killing them when the time arrives, assisting in the kitchen, eliminating the numerous rats aboard, cleaning up after the men, and so on. All of these are unpleasant jobs, mostly done below-deck. Eventually, Sam works his way up to helping on the deck, running for gunpowder, and sewing torn sails. The HMS Victory is ultimately engaged in a battle against Spain in which Admiral Lord Nelson is killed. Sam is part of this battle and decides that the navy will be his life's work.

It transpires that Molly's father was a distant relative of Sam's and that Molly and Sam have the same last name. The book gets strange for me when Molly starts channeling Sam while she is touring the HMS Victory. I also believe that the author should have emphasized the war part more to immediately capture the attention of male readers. Girls tend to persevere with a book longer than boys do and this book starts with Molly narrating the first chapter. I think if Sam had been the one telling the first chapter, boy readers would have been hooked and completed the book. It took me some time to get into the storyline. The first chapters are rather dull.