The Mariner's Curse

By John Lunn

Book Overview

Twelve-year-old bespectacled Rory has always loved to read about sailors and the ocean. So although his first time aboard a boat is in the company of his mother and her new husband, and the boat in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0887766722
• ISBN13: 9780887766725
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Tundra Books (NY)
• Length: 205 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.2" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Review by an 8th grader

The setting for The Mariner's Curse by John Lunn is a cruise liner called Sea Lion sailing from Southampton to New York. The story looks like it could have happened about ten to twenty years ago. The main characters of the story are a twelve year old boy named Rory Dugan, who is interested in boats, Lucy, a friend that Rory meets on the cruise, and, most interesting of all, Morgan Hewitt, a ghost. These are the main characters, but there are also some other people who are very important to the story. Rory's mother and step father, who have recently got married, are the reason why Rory is on the boat in the first place. They are on their honeymoon, and Rory's mother invited him along because, as Rory is only 12 years old, she did not want to leave him at home on his own. Rory loves his mother very much, of course, but he really doesn't like his step father too much. Lucy's grandmother is the other key character. She appears every now and then in the story and helps Rory and Lucy out. Lucy's grandmother is a very nice character in the story and always makes Lucy and Rory see things more clearly. After Rory literally runs into Morgan, and later after seeing Morgan going into a restricted area, Rory is curious to find out more about this passenger. Rory does all kinds of things to find out who Morgan Hewitt is. He looks Morgan Hewitt up on the Internet, he stalks Morgan to see where he goes and what he does, and he lies to the guards to get Morgan out of trouble so he might tell Rory things about who he is. Rory finds out that Morgan was on the Titanic. Rory thinks that Morgan might be a ghost. From this moment on the story becomes suspenseful because the reader doesn't know why the ghost is on the ship or what Rory or Morgan will do next. The kind of readers who would best appreciate this book are middle school kids because this book is a page turner. I think that both girls and boys would like this book because it can relate to both genders. The book is also easy to read for a kid in middle school because the book doesn't have any big words and it is fairly easy to follow because of how the author describes the story. Middle school children would also like this book because it is just the right length to keep their interest. I chose this book because I like books about the sea and on the front cover of this book there is a huge wave crashing over an ocean liner and I thought that the story might be exciting. I also chose this book because is looked about the right length for me and the font isn't small. I have also read another book called Leaving Protection by Will Hobbs that also has a picture of a boat on the front which turned out to be an exciting story, so I thought The Mariner's Curse might be an exciting story too. My favorite part of The Mariner's Curse is when Rory and Morgan are in the pipe room and Morgan first gets possessed by the demon. Morgan starts choking Rory, and it looks like Rory will die. I like this part the most because

This is the BEST!!!!!!!

This is a very good book. It gets better with each page. There is one character who comes in in the second chapter and brightens the whole story up. That person is a very mischievous, outgoing and daring girl. The girl, at her school is very popular. Meanwhile, Rory is called a GEEK at his school and is in love with a computer that his dad got him. Since his parents got divorced, and he does NOT like his mom's new husband, it is really awkward for him when he has to go along on their honeymoon! The characters in this book remind me alot of some of the people in my own school. It is a really THRILLING story that I could not put down after the first chapter. Kids of all ages will LOVE this book. If you like excitement, and a great story with really interesting and creative characters, this book is for you. And, if you have ever been on a cruise ship before, you will really relate to this book. (I never have been on a cruise, but now I feel like I was really there). Good book to take to camp and share with your whole cabin. Not too scary, but tons of fun to read. Amazing story, interesting twists and really gets you thinking. Super cool book!!

The Ocean, The Ghost, And Rory Dugan

This is the author John Lunn's first book for children; I work at a public library in Massachusetts where he will be doing a program, a "meet the author" in the context of our series of programs highlighting the sea this May; He lives in New Hampshire he and his mother (who is a childrens book author in Canada) will also be invited speakers at the New Hampshire Library Association Conference in May; The book itself is a nicely told tale of adventure, the ocean, the supernatural, a mysterious old man, friendship, family relations, fear, betrayal, and redemption. The story begins with Rory Dugan a somewhat serious-minded boy (withdrawn and guilt-ridden since the accidental death of his younger brother and subsequent collapse of his parents' marriage) boarding ship with his mother and new stepfather who are on their honeymoon; Rory's interests are the ocean (ships sailors and their history), computers, comics, and staying out of the way of his new stepfather. Bored & eager for almost anything new to happen he encounters in succession first a frightening old man who calls himself "Morgan" with a nautical background, and Lucy, an outgoing girl who adopts him, and with whom he roams the ship united in a mutual desire to avoid the dreaded "cruise queen" the children's shipboard activities director who is always trying to recruit them into her program of planned amusements. Lucy, with her greater social skills, confidence & curiosity about others, a good line of talk and a refreshingly breezy attitude with regard to the truth in her dealings with adults, establishes a friendship with Rory, managing to crack his shell somewhat and getting him to talk about his family and interests. Meanwhile Rory is also drawn into following the old man who seems to have a considerable knowledge of the inner workings of the ship, slipping into the hidden world of the crew including the lower decks where all the machinery and personnel necessary to keep a big hotel/cruiseship lives and has its being; Morgan (who disturbingly spots Rory early on, and seems to know what is going on in his mind) seems to be obsessed with the safety of the ship, arguing with apparently self-righteously incompetent crewmembers, certain that there is some problem and manages to pass some of this driving sense of urgency on to Rory, recruiting him to help him in his self-appointed mission. Rory, disturbed and yet fascinated by the old "Sea Dog", while browsing through the Titanic website on his laptop finds a picture which looks very like him with his old-fashioned clothes and cigar; He tells Lucy who enthusiastically joins into his suspicions and investigation of what the old man is about.. There is no point in my telling the whole story but the story takes a more sinister tone; The situation escalates with Rory increasingly bound to Morgan and his fears and sense of doom to such an extent that at times he seems to even be seeing the world though the old demon's eyes, while still t