Lisle, Janet Taylor. Black Duck.
New York: Sleuth/Philomel, 2006. 256 p.
Black Duck reels readers in and immerses them in the mysterious and stealth world of rum-running in the prohibition era. This was an interesting historical period that young adults may not understand. Janet Taylor Lisle helps readers understand the difficult moral circumstances many Americans had to wrestle with when balancing prohibition laws.
Best friends Ruben and Jeddy’s lives change when they find a dead body washed up on their Rhode Island beach. The boys had heard stories of the rum business infiltrating their town. The most infamous cargo carrier, the Black Duck, can outrun any coastguard vessel. Ruben and Jeddy’s friendship is strained as Ruben gets more involved in the burgeoning business and Jeddy, the son of the police chief, sticks with his father. The seamen piloting the Black Duck are looked at as heroes. Nearly everyone is connected to the rum business and these fellows are giving money back to the poor. When Ruben gets in over his head the captain of the Black Duck, Billy Brady, and Jeddy’s older sister, Marina, help save Ruben’s life. Lisle’s story is told from Ruben’s flashbacks to that dangerous summer during an interview with a zealous student reporter. The young reporter pieces together important parts of the story and for the first time, Ruben fills in the details.
The strength of this book is Lisle historical setting. Her dialogue helps set a pervasive mood and allows readers to feel the weight of Ruben’s decisions. In some ways, the young teen characters live more independently than teens today. Readers will revel in the mysterious events that build this story to its exciting climax. The readers, through Ruben’s memories, come to learn the line between right and wrong can be easily blurred by circumstance. This is another quick pick option for young teens, particularly boys.
3Q 3P
10 and up
The cover art is dark and mysterious, like the story. The image on the cover looks like an old newspaper clipping, giving away the historical quality of the novel. I thought the cover made sense in regards to the storyline but would not grab a reader immediately. The image is a little too dark and ambiguous.
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