On the first day of June, in the year of our Lord 1519, I, Mateo Macías de Ávila, a Spaniard by birth, buried my parents. . . . For much of the morning I worked, until finally I fell to my knees before the finished graves. “Father, Mother,” I prayed. “Rest in peace.” I reached out and touched the wooden crosses, caressed the names etched beneath my fingertips. I crossed myself and asked God to be merciful to their souls.
Afterward, I burned the farm. . . .
Orphaned by the plague, penniless, and without friends, Mateo must find his way in the world. What he stumbles upon in a dirty, noisy inn is the adventure of a lifetime. Soon Mateo is at sea, a cabin boy on the celebrated voyage of Captain-General Ferdinand Magellan. The destination is secret, but the crew whispers that Magellan will be the first to visit the Spice Islands of the East by going west-and everyone will return with untold riches.
Life at sea is backbreaking, but for Mateo it is home. He soon discovers the meaning of friendship, loyalty, and hard work, as well as the delight of first love. But when the sea rages and brother turns against brother, Mateo and Magellan are both in danger-and it’s not clear if anyone will survive.
Click here to read chapter one (.pdf)
Click here for discussion guide (.pdf)
Reviews and Honors
- “Torrey deftly maintains the taut thread of adventure that, along with the cast of memorable characters, keep the pages turning.” – Publisher’s Weekly, starred, – READ FULL REVIEW
- “The writing is lively; readers will feel as if they have been right there with Mateo on one of the greatest voyages of discovery ever. This deserves to be in the hands of every reader who loves history and adventure.” – Kirkus Reviews – READ FULL REVIEW
- “Torrey spins a breathtaking, gritty adventure that leaves the reader feeling the salty spray of seawater and the desperate hunger of a belly too long empty.” – Mercury News – READ FULL REVIEW
- “ . . . there’s solid page-turning excitement for fans of sea stories and also some fascinating history here.” – Booklist
- “Magellan’s historic but ill-fated circumnavigation of the world unfolds as an adventure tale that will please readers who like stories about real-life figures.” – School Library Journal
- Cited in Nancy Pearl’s, Book Crush
- A Junior Library Guild selection
- Starred review “Publisher’s Weekly”
- VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle-School Readers for 2003
- Named one of the “Year’s Best Children’s Books” by Mercury News, 2003
