Dead Man's Rapids (A Blackwater Ben Adventure) - Hardcover

Durbin, William; Durbin, Barbara

3.3

20 ratings by Goodreads

9781517902230: Dead Man's Rapids (A Blackwater Ben Adventure)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1517902231 ISBN 13: 9781517902230

Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2017

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

When 13-year-old Ben Ward left school to work with his Pa in a logging camp, a winter of peeling potatoes and setting tables wasn’t the adventure he had in mind. Still, come spring, he signs up for the log drive with his friend Nevers, wishing the head cook on the wanigan (the floating cook shack) could be someone other than his crabby Pa. Fate, with a wink, complies, and Pa quits—only to be replaced by someone far worse: Pete Sardman, aka Old Sard, a cantankerous character complete with a greasy apron, an eye patch, one deaf ear, and plenty to say.

Luckily, there’s also the rest of the crew—a colorful, sometimes outrageous company of men. Together Ben and Nevers endure freezing weather, dangerous rapids, logjams, storms and floods, and a number of gripping tall tales, along the way learning about logging on the river and a whole lot more about life.

Taking up where Blackwater Ben left off, Dead Man’s Rapids returns to the north woods of Minnesota in the late nineteenth century, and with warmth, humor, and attention to historical detail engages readers both young and old.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

William Durbin is a writer and former teacher who lives on Lake Vermilion at the edge of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A winner of the Great Lakes Book Award and a two-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award, he has published eleven novels for young readers, including The Broken Blade, Wintering, and, also published by Minnesota, Song of Sampo Lake, Blackwater Ben, and The Darkest Evening.

Barbara Durbin is a lifelong educator who has worked as an elementary school teacher and a teacher of gifted and talented programs.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 5–8—This sequel to Blackwater Ben begins in 1899 as Ben and his friend Nevers embark on a log drive with Ben's father, who works as the camp's cook. Ben hopes that someone less grumpy will replace his father as cook, and, lo and behold, his wish comes true when a new slop slinger named Sard takes over. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse for Ben. Loggers who move the payload from Minnesota to Canada round out the characters. The loggers each have their own personality, some with more depth than others. Sard, with his ill temper and his physical injuries, is stereotypical at first. However, as the story progresses, he becomes more fully realized. The book's setting and the episodic plot, filled with humor and adventure, are its strengths. Readers will smell garlicky sausages, feel the bitter cold the loggers endure, and visualize the flora and fauna. The integration of logging vocabulary and the descriptions of camp life further immerse readers in the novel. Ben's constant wishing gets him and the crew in trouble, yet kids will welcome the diversion from the backbreaking labor and dangers of the drive. Information on the impact logging had on the region offers depth and discussion fodder. An afterword with facts about log drives is included. VERDICT The action and period details of this historical novel, reminiscent of Jennifer L. Holm's Our Only May Amelia and "Boston Jane" series, will captivate even reluctant readers.—Hilary Writt, Sullivan University, Lexington, KY

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.