beyondthewesternsea

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Book Reviews and Synopses

Beyond the Western Sea

Avi

Avi. Beyond The Western Sea. Orchard Books. New York, New York. 1996.

Beyond The Western Sea is a classic story of love and suspense that takes place in the early 1800’s. It was written in 1934, by the author Avi. This book has captured the minds of many readers because of the way it shows how hard life was for an orphan in the 1800’s.

Beyond The Western Sea, takes place in northern England and is about three orphan siblings who are trapped in an orphanage. Their names are Willie, George and Mary. The orphanage, is run by a corrupt man named Charles Wilson. He tortured the kids with manual labor, and didn’t give them clothes or food.

They had finally gathered enough money, and wanted to escape to a place where they could live freely, where no one could tell them what to do. They heard great things about a place beyond the western sea, named America. So they escaped the orphanage and began their journey.

They had to steal for food and pick pocket for money. They had to sleep on the streets and walk in bare feet. Their journey was not an easy one. They ran into many obstacles along the way, and as they struggled, their love for one another grew stronger.

Avi’s dramatic book, Beyond The Western Sea, does an amazing job of toying with human emotions. It gives the reader a sense of sadness for the lives of orphans. Avi does a great job making life in the 1800’s seem realistic.

4 out of 5 stars.

Contributed by S. Stickels

April 27th 2011