The Night Ship
Jess Kidd
Reviewed by Helen
I have had this one waiting for me for a while, and I was intrigued by the blurb especially since it was based on a true story, it is well written and very sad as we get to know two young children both nine year olds, Mayken starts her journey at sea in 1628 to the Dutch East Indies on The Batavia and then we meet Gill in 1989 on an island of the coast of Western Australia.
Although the story lines are three hundred years apart these two children seem linked in some way, the ship that Mayken sails on is shipwrecked on the same island Gil moves too after the death of his mother in 1989 and Gil is very interested in learning about the shipwreck and the ghost who supposedly walks the island, little May. Both have monsters in their childhoods and both have a terrible time.
Sadly this story wasn’t for me, I struggled to feel connected to the story, I felt very sad for both Mayken and Gil, maybe it was a bit sad for me, I am sure that there are many readers who will thoroughly enjoy this one. But I did enjoy learning some history that I didn’t know about.
Although the story lines are three hundred years apart these two children seem linked in some way, the ship that Mayken sails on is shipwrecked on the same island Gil moves too after the death of his mother in 1989 and Gil is very interested in learning about the shipwreck and the ghost who supposedly walks the island, little May. Both have monsters in their childhoods and both have a terrible time.
Sadly this story wasn’t for me, I struggled to feel connected to the story, I felt very sad for both Mayken and Gil, maybe it was a bit sad for me, I am sure that there are many readers who will thoroughly enjoy this one. But I did enjoy learning some history that I didn’t know about.
3 stars
October 4, 2022 by Atria Books
