具体描述
内容简介
Inspired by family stories, two-time Newbery Honor winner and New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Holm beautifully blends family lore with America's past in this charming gem of a novel, rich in historical detail, humor, and the unique flavors of Key West.
Life isn't like the movies, and eleven-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple. She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935, and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida, to stay with relatives she's never met.
Florida's like nothing Turtle has ever seen. It's hot and strange, full of wild green peeping out between houses, ragtag boy cousins, and secret treasure. Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she has spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways.
作者简介
JENNIFER L. HOLM's great-grandmother emigrated from the Bahamas to Key West in 1897. Jennifer is the author of two Newbery Honor Books, Our Only May Amelia and Penny from Heaven. She is also the author of several other highly praised books, including Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf, and the Babymouse series which she collaborates on with her brother Matthew Holm. Jennifer lives in California with her husband and two children. You can visit her Web site at JenniferHolm.com. 精彩书评
"Turtle, the witty 11-year-old narrator of this standout historical novel, is a straight shooter: “Everyone thinks children are sweet as Necco Wafers, but I’ve lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten.” When her romantic and unrealistic mother, who’s always falling in and out of love, gets a housekeeping job that won’t allow children, she sends Turtle to her estranged family in Depression-era Key West. Though her mother hails Key West as paradise, Turtle initially think it’s a dump (“Truth is, the place looks like a broken chair that’s been left out in the sun to rot”). Two-time Newbery Honor author Holm again crafts a winning heroine who, despite her hardened exterior, gradually warms to her eccentric family members, including her unruly cousins and waspish grandmother (who Turtle thought was dead). Infused with period pop culture references, a strong sense of place, and the unique traditions and culture of Key West natives (aka “Conchs”), this humorous adventure effectively portrays Turtle as caught between her mother’s Hollywood-inspired dreams and the very real family and geography that offer a different kind of paradise."
-- Publishers Weekly
"Eleven-year-old Turtle falls in with the Diaper Gang-her boy cousins Beans, Kermit and Buddy and their friends Ira and Pork Chop-when she is packed off to stay in her mother's hometown of Key West because her housekeeper mother has a new job with a woman who doesn't like kids. It's 1935, and the enterprising boys offer baby care to exhausted mothers in exchange for candy because no one has any money to spare. Glimpses of Southern decay and charm add to the sense of otherness that Turtle finds in the heat, the occasional scorpion, the windfall fruit and the hint of Bahamian and Cuban roots. Her encounters with the cantankerous invalid grandmother she never knew and with Slow Poke, a sponge fisherman whose gray eyes match her own, hint at the importance of this homecoming. Turtle's discovery of the charms of family is as valuable as the pirate treasure the children weather a hurricane to find. Holm's voice for Turtle is winning and authentic-that of a practical, clear-eyed observer-and her nimble way with dialogue creates laugh-out-loud moments. Sweet, funny and superb."
-- Kirkus Reviews
标题:追寻失落的宝藏与家族的秘密——《黄金罗盘下的航程》 导语: 在波涛汹涌的加勒比海域,隐藏着一个关于财富、背叛与勇气的古老传说。这不是一个关于在阳光沙滩上享受假期的故事,而是一场深入人心的冒险,一场关于如何面对内心的恐惧,并最终找到真正归属的旅程。欢迎来到《黄金罗盘下的航程》,这是一部将历史的厚重感与年轻主角的活力完美融合的史诗级小说。 第一章:风暴来临前的宁静 故事的开端,我们将跟随主角伊森·卡弗(Ethan Carver)的视角。伊森,一个十二岁的男孩,生活在二十世纪四十年代末期的佛罗里达基韦斯特(Key West)。他瘦削但眼神坚定,拥有一股不服输的劲头。他的父亲是一位沉默寡言的海洋生物学家,母亲则是一位热爱历史的大学讲师。他们的生活看似平静,但平静之下,总有一种暗流涌动。 伊森的童年大部分时间都在港口度过,那里停靠着各种各样的船只,空气中弥漫着盐、柴油和热带花朵混合的气味。他最大的乐趣是听老水手们讲述关于“海妖之歌”(The Siren's Call)的传说——一艘据信载满了西班牙殖民时期黄金的沉船,其确切位置随着时间流逝,被海浪和遗忘所吞噬。 然而,这种宁静在某个湿热的夏日被彻底打破。伊森的父亲在一次例行出海考察中失踪了。官方的报告称其为“意外”,但伊森总觉得其中另有隐情。父亲留下的唯一线索,是一个上了锁的旧木箱,里面只有一张泛黄的航海图残片,以及一本手写的、充满奇怪符号的航海日志。 第二章:谜团的碎片 伊森的母亲,玛莎,沉浸在悲痛中,拒绝相信任何“意外”的说法。她意识到,丈夫的失踪与他最近痴迷研究的一组古老的星象图有关。 随着调查的深入,一个令人不安的名字浮出水面——“黑帆”巴克斯顿(Buxton “Black Sail”),一个在当地被视为恶灵般存在的走私犯和文物窃贼。巴克斯顿似乎也在追寻着某些东西,而且他相信伊森的父亲已经找到了线索。 伊森决定自己去寻找真相。他利用父亲留下的航海图残片,开始在当地的旧书店和古董店里搜寻有关“海妖之歌”的更多信息。他结识了莉拉(Lila),一个和他同龄、住在附近老码头区,以惊人的记忆力和敏锐的洞察力著称的女孩。莉拉的家庭世代与海洋打交道,对当地的秘密了如指掌,她成为了伊森在迷雾中摸索的向导。 第三章:航向未知的水域 在莉拉的帮助下,他们破解了日志中的部分密码,发现“海妖之歌”的宝藏并非单纯的黄金,而是一件具有重要历史意义的文物——传说中被西班牙海盗劫掠的一批美洲原住民的圣物。 为了找到真正的航线,他们需要更完整的航海图。所有线索都指向了一个地方:一个位于巴哈马群岛深处、鲜有人知的“幽灵礁”(The Phantom Reef)。 伊森和莉拉偷用了一艘老旧的、但维护得很好的双桅帆船“信天翁号”(The Albatross)。在伊森母亲的担忧和不舍中,两个孩子在黎明时分悄悄驶离了基韦斯特港。 这次航行充满了挑战。他们不仅要躲避海警的巡逻,更要面对巴克斯顿派来的跟踪者。在海上,他们学会了阅读风向,修补船帆,并在狭小的船舱内学会了信任彼此。那些关于宝藏的传说,此刻化为真实的危险。 第四章:幽灵礁的陷阱 到达幽灵礁附近的水域后,环境变得异常诡异。水下充满了尖锐的珊瑚和变幻莫测的洋流。他们发现,巴克斯顿已经捷足先登,并利用先进的潜水设备在水下进行大规模的搜索。 伊森和莉拉的优势在于他们对古代导航知识的掌握,以及他们对这片水域的直觉。他们没有试图直接潜入,而是观察了巴克斯顿团队的行动模式。他们发现,巴克斯顿正在试图用炸药清除珊瑚障碍,这不仅危险,而且可能摧毁沉船本身。 在一次夜间潜入的尝试中,伊森遭遇了巴克斯顿的手下。搏斗中,伊森意识到巴克斯顿的真正目的——他不是为了文物,而是为了掩盖一个更深层的秘密:二十年前,正是巴克斯顿参与了对伊森父亲进行学术研究的陷害,导致他失去了在大学的职位。伊森父亲失踪,很可能与他发现了巴克斯顿的非法交易证据有关。 第五章:真理与救赎 在紧张的对峙中,伊森和莉拉利用礁石的复杂地形设下了一个精妙的陷阱,暂时困住了巴克斯顿的搜寻队。他们成功潜入了据说是“海妖之歌”沉没点的区域。 然而,沉船的景象让他们震撼。它并没有被黄金塞满,而是完好地保留了当时船员们的生活痕迹,以及那批被精心包裹的圣物。更重要的是,在船舱深处,他们找到了伊森父亲留下的最后信息——一份详细记录了巴克斯顿罪行的文件,以及一个备用信号发射器。 伊森的父亲并没有死于沉船,他被巴克斯顿的人劫持,并被藏匿在一个秘密的小岛上,等待被“处理”。 在与巴克斯顿展开最后的较量时,伊森不再只是一个寻求宝藏的孩子,他成了一个为真相而战的斗士。他利用对洋流的理解,引诱巴克斯顿的快艇撞上了事先准备好的暗礁。 最终,在当地海岸警卫队收到伊森父亲发出的信号后,巴克斯顿及其团伙被捕。伊森的父亲被成功解救,虽然身心疲惫,但生命无虞。 结局:新的航程 “海妖之歌”的宝藏——那批圣物,最终被交还给了相应的文化保护组织。伊森和莉拉成为了当地的英雄,他们的冒险故事在基韦斯特广为流传。 伊森明白了,真正的宝藏不是黄金,而是真相、勇气,以及面对未知时的伙伴。他与父亲的关系得到了修复,父子俩决定将余生的精力投入到对海洋生态和历史遗迹的保护中。 《黄金罗盘下的航程》是一部关于成长的故事,它带领读者穿梭于热带的阳光与深海的阴影之间,探讨了责任、家庭纽带以及发现自我价值的深刻主题。它不仅仅是一次寻宝之旅,更是一场对心灵罗盘的校准,指引着年轻的灵魂驶向更广阔的未来。