Raleigh's Page

Eleven-year-old Andrew Saintleger lives with his family on a farm in Devon, England. Since Andrew's older brother will inherit the farm, other prospects must be arranged for Andrew's future. So, in the spring of 1584, when Andrew finishes school, his father surprises him with the opportunity of a lifetime. Andrew travels to London to join the staff of Sir Walter Raleigh, a famous entrepreneur, a favorite acquaintance of the Queen's and a man with a dream to explore America. Andrew settles into his new life in the loud, bustling city, despite missing home and being bullied by one of the other pages. Since he hails from a farm and is talented in such tasks, he is assigned to spend most of his hours assisting Pena, the gardener, and learning about the experiments Pena conducts on foreign plants in English soil. In addition, Sir Raleigh sets dangerous tasks before him to test his intelligence, his trustworthiness and his bravery. In one such test, Andrew must go undercover as a wine clerk to sneak into a mapmaker's home and obtain a new and supposedly very accurate map. After proving himself worthy, Andrew earns the grandest adventure ever --- to join the expedition to explore America. Andrew now also assists with the preparation for the voyage, including visiting the Queen for her support, calculating for supplies needed and recording all transactions. He even befriends the two Native Americans brought back from a previous voyage, seeing to their needs and learning their language. They will return to America with Sir Raleigh's expedition and aid them in exploring the new lands. They set sail the following spring. Even with all of their preparations and research, no one could have prepared Andrew and the crew for the most extreme of all tests --- mere survival. When they lose their supplies in a shipwreck, they must rely on the native Indians for food through the long, cold winter. Yet, despite every hardship and challenge, Andrew grows to love this new land and sees so much promise in the fertile soil, the thick forests and the freedom existing for everyone. He knows America is his future. Alan Armstrong received the Newberry Honor Award for his first novel, WHITTINGTON. He has thoroughly researched RALEIGH'S PAGE, creating an adventure for everyone to enjoy. Filled with fascinating historical facts and richly detailed descriptions, readers will learn a bit of history while experiencing the adventures and dangers of early explorers. --- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND

As the youngest son, Andrew Saintleger is destined for whatever life his father decides he should have. When his father chooses, just before Andrew's twelfth birthday, to take him to London and arrange for him to train and work under Sir Walter Raleigh, Andrew knows he is the luckiest boy around. Rumor has it that Sir Walter has turned his sights on America. Andrew knows all about America. His teacher, Master Tremayne, is nearly obsessed with the New World and has been drilling all of the students on it all year. So much so that half of the students have become enthralled with it. And now, Andrew may actually get to go! Adventures on the road to London are nothing compared to the life that Andrew is about to jump in to. Nothing can prepare him for the strange life that Sir Walter leads, and the amazing things he will learn, or the crazy things he will be asked to do. And that's just in London! Just when Andrew begins to feel somewhat comfortable at Durham House, Sir Walter is ready to leave for America. What Andrew finds during the journey and in America will change everything for him, forever. This book is fantastic on so many levels. It's adventurous and exciting. It's well written. The characters are interesting and believable. It's historically accurate whenever possible. Whether you are a reluctant reader, you have a thirst for adventure, you enjoy the stories in history, or you just want to read a good book, this book can deliver. Simply put, this one is definitely worth the time! On a personal note, I wish history was taught more like this. Or that someone had gotten me into historical fiction when I was much younger. I knew the name of Sir Walter Raleigh, and I had a general idea of his time period in history, but after reading RALEIGH'S PAGE I will never forget the story. Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman