Teetoncey

by Theodore Taylor

Book Overview

In 1898, twelve-year-old Ben rescues a near-drowned girl from a shipwreck off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Although the girl, named Teetoncey, becomes part of his family, she will not utter a single word.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152052941
• ISBN13: 9780152052942
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.9" x 5.3"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Teetoncey

The book,Teetoncey is written by Theodore Taylor. This book is a bout a boy named Ben and his mother, Rachel.Ben and Rachel live on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where ships are getting wrecked all the time because of the rocky coastline. Ben wants to show the rough and tough men of the island that he is not a sissy. One night there is a sudden storm that changes evrything for Ben. This frail young english girl Ben saved seems half-dead and cannot speak. At first Ben thinks the girl is crazy, but soon she becomes part of the family. As Ben helps this young girl to recover he solves some of his own problems. If you like reading sea stories this book is for you. This book made me just keep reading and reading. Teetoncey is a very suspenseful book. I hope you enjoy this book as well as i did!

Teetoncey, by Theodore Taylor, review by Ella Harvey

As soon as I opened the book Teetoncey by Theodore Taylor, I could almost feel the spray of the ocean in the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks of North Carolina are sometimes called "the graveyard of the Atlantic." In 1898, a girl washed up on the beach in the middle of a terrible storm. Nobody knew where she came from. Nobody knew who she was.That night, she was taken in by the O'Neal family, a boy named Ben and his mother Rachel, who tell the story about the girl they named Teetoncey, as if she was their own. It was Ben who rescued Teetoncey from the churning waters that night. He was determined to show the courage his dead father had. That was why he brought the girl back to his mother to take care of her. The suspenseful way in which the author writes keeps you turning the pages throughout the book to find out what happens to the girl. Teetoncey herself was silent throughout most of the book. She was struck dumb when her boat crashed on the shoals and her parents were killed, an orphan on a new land. The time she spent with the O'Neals was not easy for any of them, but these difficulties form the basis of the book. The story begins with an interesting and informative introduction about shipwrecks on the Outer Banks. Almost every time there was a bad storm on the Outer Banks a ship washed up.The scene for the book is set. The author, Theodore Taylor, grew up in North Carolina and knew the coastline well as one of his hobbies was ocean fishing.All of Mrs. Taylor's books are based on real-life situations and/or characters. He is the author of many books for young adults, including The Cay. I found Ben to be impatient at times. Sometimes Ben got so angry with Teetoncey that he attempted to kick her. At other times, he felt sympathetic towards her disability. Even though Teetoncey seemed not to comprehend any sound, I feel she really could and tried to respond to questions and speech. Ben's mother, Rachel, took care of Teetoncey all through the story, approximately a month. She changed Teetoncey's clothes, gave her baths, and cooked her meals, as if she was her own daughter. The doctor believes Teetoncey to be a vegetable, to be completely brain dead, but Rachel believes that love and caring could fix her up.The ending of the book reveals the surprising therapy that helps Teetoncey. I think one of the larger themes of the book is about patience and love. Ben had to put up with Teetoncey's passivity, and his mother's loving attention transferred to her. Ben took Teetoncey for walks, put up with her running away and even put up with her wetting his bed, but finally ending up enjoying her company. Rachel actually said,"I jus' couldn't turn my back on this girl," which shows how she cared for this helpless stranger that just turned up on their doorstep. It is hard to say whom the single hero/heroine of the book is. All of the main characters made great sacrifices and learned much about themselves. This tale of a

Teetoncey by Theodore Taylor Book Review

The book, Teetoncey is amazing novel! Theodore Taylor wrote this book after writing the Award Winning story, The Cay. Teetoncey is a story about a boy (Ben O'Neal) who finds a girl, a survivor of a shipwreck lying on the coastline. No one knows who she is or where she came from. At first, the girl seems to be ruining his life, but he finds that there is a lot more to the story of the mysterious lost girl that is still hidden within her waiting to come out. The setting of Teetoncey takes place in the past, on the outer banks of North Carolina where ships are always wrecking on the rocky coastline. There is never a dull moment in Teetoncey. Theodore Taylor, with his vivid adjectives, makes you feel as though you're there with Ben running down the coastline seeing the shipwrecks. Taylor leaves you with cliffhangers so you must keep reading. His short phrases and words add to the suspense. For example, "Maybe a body" Taylor wrote on one page. When you're reading, and you feel as though the book is becoming slow, Taylor surprises you with another full-force adventure. Teetoncey was my favorite character in this book. The way the author describes her is amazing. You can almost picture her face. Her description matches her personality and backgrounds perfectly. Teetoncey is a frail girl who has just gone through the tragedy of her life which has imprisoned her mind. Ben O'Neal, her savior, comes to her rescue and heals her with his mother and his own amazing strength. Even the small characters, like the doctor, fill up a part in the story. Without all of the characters that Taylor made up the book wouldn't be the same. I don't think I'd like it as much. To make the reader feel as if they were there, beside Ben, Taylor used all the traditions and words of the North Carolina Coastline's natives. Taylor tells of the geese and wildlife that take home on the banks. He tells of the terrifying storms that strike North Carolina. All the places, the characters go to and talk about are all real places. The "outer banks" word for small is "Teetoncey". Though I have never been to North Carolina, the characters seem like real people. Taylor wrote, "Ben thought it was impossible to know what would excite Filene and what wouldn't" I know many people who I could say just the same about them. The main theme of Teetoncey is a theme I haven't seen much in other books. I believe what Taylor is trying to get across is to not judge a person before you've met them and don't judge someone for the rest of their life by the way they're acting that day. Also, at the end of the book, Taylor brings out the point that the easy way isn't always the right way or the way that will work. Even though, the book took place around 1973, you can still see how there are many of the same problems that occur in this book as do today. This book has helped me though, as an individual, realize that people who may surprise you. This story is to

A mysterious shipwrecked girl

Young Ben O'Neal finds a girl who has survived a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Hatteras and his family takes her in. She is shrouded in mystery, having forgotten her identity in the trauma of the shipwreck. They nickname her Teetoncey, in reference to her petite size. But her spirit is huge! One day, when Ben's friends are trying to impress her with their knowledge of swear words, she floors them with a string of curses that would make a sailor blush! There is speculation as to whether she is from a rich family or not, and is there treasure that went down with the ship she was on? Will they find it? Ben evolves from a boy who feels stuck in the Outer Banks culture to a young man who begins to appreciate the world at large, as he gains respect for the young girl they call Teetoncey. Engrossing; excellent for 9 to 12 year olds.

It's a good story about Ben O'neal

It's a good story about Ben O'neal and a person who came into his life. It was a good book. I think it would be neat to read the rest of the trilogy. I think you would like it if you got the book. It's got a lot of stuff about shipwrecks and oceans and the outer banks of North Carolina.