The Captive

by Scott O'Dell

Book Overview

As part of a Spanish expedition to the New World, a Jesuit seminarian witnesses the enslavement and exploitation of the Mayas and is seduced by greed and ambition. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395278112
• ISBN13: 9780395278116
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Review thingy

Okay so this was like a really good book. Well actually it was awesome! Its full of lies, shipwrecks, slavery, action, and sacrifice! It even has a hint of romance between the main character and this native girl who teaches him that everyone doesn't have to have the same religion to get along. AAAWWW! How cute! !!**^-^**!! anyway...this book is really great so read it and be prepared not to be able to put it down. (ahem-watch out the end is kinda gruesome) Yeah, so like read the sequels other wise you'll be left on a cliffhanger! They are The feathered serpent and the amethyst ring! You'll never forget this book!!! (haha maybe you will...)

Awesome

That was like the worst book I ever read. Just kiddin'. You probably could tell by the five stars. The captive is an exciting story. The end is the best part. I don't want to give it away though. I read this book in class and it is the best book I have ever read in a class. Lies, shipwrecks, and more lies. This book has everything. Spaniards are traveling on a ship to teach natives Christian. A certain priest is a little corrupt though. Will some natives die before even knowing who Jesus is? You'll have to read yourself. DMS(James L. Day Middle School) rocks! Way better than Muirland Middle School!!!!

Get to Know the Aztecs and Mayans!

Scott O'Dell is one of the very best writers of historical novels for ages 10-15. This one is an engrossing adventure in the world of the Mayans and Aztecs at the time of the conquistadores. Most readers will want to continue with the sequel, The Feathered Serpent. This saga is not for children under 11; expect to encounter human sacrifices and slavery, shipwrecks and gold-lust, but readers will come away with a real sense of the people and their times.

An exciting introduction to the Maya and conquistadores.

I am a fifth grade teacher from Arlington, Virginia who could not put it down. My class loved it and we found the two sequels, The Feathered Serpent and The Amethyst Ring. They have the hero encountering the Aztecs and the Incas. It is an amazing introduction to the early Central American civilizations. Read all three.

wonderfully written!

This book is a rare find that can be useful for a teaching tool. I teach fifth grade and during the year we study about the Mayas. When I found this book I was reluctant to read it. Once I started I could not stop. Scott O'Dell has uniquely woven a great story around a fascinating character. The story includes topics of survival, friendship, slavery and religion. I have also read the sequel to this book, The Feathered Serpent , this was as well an exceptional piece of children's literature.