68 Knots: A Novel

What a great Christmas present for teens that are hard to shop for! Everyone in the family will enjoy this fast-paced and well written novel. I found this novel to be interesting, thought-provoking and humorous. I passed it on to my teenage daughters and saw them lending it out to their friends the second they were done. Give the gift that keeps on giving with this one!

An exciting adventure including life lessons, drama - and sailing! We have purchased a number of copies to donate to the youth sailing league at our yacht club. A wonderful addition to any young adult's library.

Eight teenagers are ready for the summer of a lifetime - as part of a Leadership Cruise on board the schooner Dreadnought. But when the camp owner commits suicide just a few days into the cruise, rather than go back home, the teens decide to take charge of the ship themselves. They tie knots into a piece of rope, one knot for each day of summer remaining, and then set off to enjoy their 68 days of freedom. The journey is not always easy, and they face many challenges along the way - including struggles for leadership, failed romances, storms, desertions, damages to the ship, and diminishing food supplies. But it's not all difficult, and they manage to have several fun adventures as well, such as trying to rescue a whale, searching for buried treasure, raiding yachts, racing other boats, and going hunting for seals. The teens may not have had the summer experience they were expecting, but they are all undoubtedly changed by their time aboard the Dreadnought, as new friendships and relationships are formed, and they all begin to question their own futures. 68 KNOTS is a very fun read, and I really enjoyed it. The characters are interesting and diverse (although a couple of them have rather annoying habits), and the book is full of great details about sailing a ship. Even though the crew of the Dreadnought gets into some pretty sticky situations, anyone who reads this is bound to want to go out and experience the same summer at sea as these kids - I know I do! Reviewed by: Andie Z.