The Hostage

by Theodore Taylor Narrated by Johnny Heller

Overview

When a small pod of killer whales surfaces just offshore of Lumber Landing-a small British Columbia fishing community-it's more that just the fish that don't know what to do. The whales' arrival coincides with a fishing magazine ad offering $100,000 for a killer whale in good condition for an American theme park. Jamie Tidd, a 14-year-old boy, and his father Perry thought it would be nearly impossible to capture a whale. However, it's after they easily trap one on Wilwilli Cove that difficulties arise. Do they release the whale to take part in salmon season-the most financially rewarding season of the year-or do they keep it and hope to cash in? Newbery Award-winning author Theodore Taylor has written more than 30 books for young people. His book, The Cay, won eleven literary awards, including the Lewis Carrol Shelf Award.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Fishing off the coast of British Columbia is a difficult and often dangerous way to earn a living. When Jamie Tidd and his father capture a giant killer whale, they can't believe their good lucka marine park in California has offered $100,000 for just such a whale. Jamie's family could really use the money; this may be their only chance to leave the isolated settlement of Lumber Landing and start a new, easier life somewhere else. But Jamie grows to admire the whale and he can't help wondering if it is right to keep the big mammal in captivityeven if his family needs the money. Then various environmental groups use the media to make the Tidd family look greedy and cruel. Peopled with believable characters, this fast-paced novel will leave readers with much to ponder; it's a fascinating depiction of an unusual way of life. Ages 12-up. (December)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9 Jamie Tidd, 14, knows that his family is caught in an economic bind that keeps them penned in a small fish ing camp in British Columbia, rather than living in a ``real'' town with schools, shops, and electricity. So a chance to trap a huge bull Orca in a cove and sell him to a new marine park for $100,000 cannot be passed by. Once the whale is trapped, problems erupt. Jamie's girlfriend cuts all emotional stops trying to get him to cut the nets. Television news teams, Greenpeace, and other environmentalists are screaming for the Orca's release, call ing him a hostage and painting the Tidds as arch-villains. As the environ mentalists carry the day in the outside world, Perry Tidd and his son cut the nets. While Taylor is didactic here, he does give more than one side to the problem of marine mammal capture. All anthropomorphizing is done by the characters in the novel, as they attempt to understand their captive. All Orca behaviors described are accurate, hav ing been observed in nature. Jamie's budding relationship with Angie is sure to strike chords with many young read ers, and killer whales are of interest (and awe) to all. Patricia Manning, Eastchester Public Library, N.Y.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171168278
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	03/22/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged

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