The Smugglers

by Iain Lawrence

Book Overview

"Steer clear of that ship," warns the mysterious gentleman who shares a coach with John and his father. "Death she'll bring you," says the man. "It's the way of a ship that was christened with blood."... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385326637
• ISBN13: 9780385326636
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 183 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Erin's Review

The Smugglers by Iain Lawrence The main character, John is a young lad who at sixteen gets himself into trouble. A friendly villian Dasher is both his enemy and his life saver. Captain Crowe wants the secret book and is a smuggler. The story involves John a young lad who gets a boat, the Dragon from his father. His father gets a crew to take his son on a voyage. Captain Crowe comes with John and John doesn't know who he is. Others on the ship are in danger from Captain Crowe as he tries to find the Deadman's Secrets. Captain Crowe will even murder to get what he wants. This story takes place in the past in London and at sea. John learns that running a ship can be dangerous and you need to be careful who you trust. I liked the story because it had adventure and mystery that was neat. I would recommend this book to other kids who like adventure but not to those who take stories too seriously or can't handle death.

More like a 4 1/2

I enjoyed this book very much. If you like action packed, can't-put-down kind of books about sailing and the sea, I recommend getting this book. I gave it 4 stars because the author didn't describe alot of detail of how things looked. Enough to get a picture but not all that clear. He was wonderful at describing death scenes or gruesome killings. (i.e, man torn in two, a few hangings described, dead body floating, following in the sea, etc.) But it didn't bother me that much, just thought I'd give a head's up to other readers interested in this book.

The Smugglers

This book is about a little adventurous boy named John Spencer. Johns father has bought a new ship called the Dragon. Rumor has it that the Dragon is cursed and should bring misfortune to the owner. A evil ship should be towed by an evil man, a smuggler in fact, smuggling from every port this side of London. Now this ship in the hands of John and his father, what fortune should become of them? If you like adventure books this is the book for you. There is'nt a moment when there isn't a dilema for little John Spencer. A must read for lovers of any adventure books, or any boat books.

Andrew Yu P.3

The SmugglersBook review This book is about a boy named John. John had a father who bought a ship called the dragon. This dragon caused a lot of trouble to John and his father. Also, his captain was a very evil man that used to smuggle other people and products like brandy. He also tried to kill John on the way to London. Luckily, Dasher helped save Johns life several times. I chose this book because my friend had told me that it was fun. The cover was also very interesting. The designs and the boat looked very detailed in the huge storm. The smugglers sounded like a very fun and exciting book. Once I read the first few chapters, it felt as if I had to read the rest of the book. I liked this book because it had many exciting parts and lots of action. My favorite part of the book is when John gets shot from dasher. He got shot twice and was very scared. He talked about getting flashbacks right before you die. The reason why I liked this part is because it was very funny. A few pages after this event, it explains that the gun he used had no real bullets and just made a hole on his clothes.

Smuggling a way to the top!

A wonderful companion to The Wreckers, The Smugglers followsJohn Spencer, a young teenager and finds a world of mystery and ofcourse smuggling on his new ship, The Dragon. A must read for all fans of Treasure Island, The Wreckers or any other books about Historical Boat runs.