Attack of the Turtle

by Drew Carlson, David A. Johnson (Illustrator)

Overview

A Revolutionary War-era teen faces self-doubt while helping build the first submarine used in naval combat.

It's 1776, and the Revolutionary War is raging. Fourteen-year-old Nathan Wade is a patriot, but he's too young to join the fight. Then his cousin David Bushnell comes to town with a secret. David has designed a water machine that can explode bombs underwater. And his mission is to launch it against the British warships in New York harbor.

Nate reluctantly agrees to help David build the weapon of war — dubbed the American Turtle. He's terrified of water and worried about getting caught, but when unlikely circumstances put Nate at the center of the action, he faces the murky waters of his fears head-on.

Based on actual historical events, this middle grade novel captures the drama of the first submarine used in naval warfare and the struggles of a teenager overcoming self-doubt.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802853387
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	02/02/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	157
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.42(d)
Lexile:	640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 14 Years

About the Author

Drew Carlson is a former magazine columnist, newspaper reporter, corporate writer, and editor who currently works as the director of public affairs for the Federation of State Medical Boards in Dallas, Texas. Drew says his fascination with obscure facts from American history led him to write Attack of the Turtle, which is his first published novel.

David Johnson is an accomplished editorial artist whose works have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, and The Atlantic Monthly. He has illustrated several children's books, including Call Me Marianne (Eerdmans), Snow Sounds (Houghton Mifflin), and Abraham Lincoln (Scholastic). David lives in Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

Horn Book Guide
"Enjoyable historical narrative."

Booklist
"Nate makes for a sympathetic character and the plot is well constructed. . . . The actual tale of the Turtle is quite involving, too."

Children's Literature
"A good adventure story."

School Library Journal
"The historical events surrounding the first submarine ever used in warfare, outlined in an author's note, are expertly woven throughout this fictional account."

From the Publisher

Gr 4-7
Nathan Wade, a fisherman's son, lives in Saybrook, CT, at the beginning of the American Revolution. When his father enlists in the Continental Army, the 14-year-old stays with relatives to help on their farm. His cousin, David, invents a submarine to be used against the British and asks Nathan to help him build it on a nearby secluded island. In spite of his intense fear of water, he agrees, and learns to overcome his phobia as he ferries back and forth while building the vessel. The submarine, named American Turtle , is towed to New York and employed in an attempt to sink Admiral Howe's flagship, anchored in the harbor. Nathan participates in the August 29, 1776, evacuation of 9000 American soldiers by helping to row men and equipment across the East River under cover of night and fog. The historical events surrounding the first submarine ever used in warfare, outlined in an author's note, are expertly woven throughout this fictional account. Johnson's pen-and-ink illustrations at the beginning of each chapter enrich Carlson's first novel.
—Rebecca SheridanCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal