Author Michele Torrey

I never saw my father. He was a seafaring man and died before I was born, lost overboard in the middle of an Atlantic gale. . . .

Philip is an orphan and has spent most of his life suffering the cruelties of the workhouse. So when he learns he has an uncle—and not just any uncle, but a rich uncle, captain of his own ship—he sets off for New Orleans to find him.
It’s a challenge to track down one man in a bustling port city, but even when a kindly family takes him in as their own son, Philip won’t give up his quest. And one day, his persistence is rewarded. Not only does he locate his last living relative, but Uncle offers him the position of surgeon's mate on his ship, the Formidable. Philip couldn't be happier; at last, he's found his family! But little does he know the purpose of the journey he's about to embark on: Uncle is a slave trader, and the ship is bound for Africa to collect their cargo.
Caught between his lifelong desire for a family and the promise of a better life, and the shocking brutality he witnesses aboard the Formidable, Philip must open his eyes and decide for himself the true meaning of family, freedom, and humanity.

"A powerful, beautifully written tale . . . The characterization is strong and believable, and Philip is a compelling hero." -- School Library Journal

"The most intense and harrowing of Torrey's nautical Chronicles of Courage . . ." -- Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"[an] engrossing and eye-opening historical novel, which examines one boy's response to a call for action." -- Booklist

Chosen for the 2006 New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing list.

Starred Review, "Kirkus"

Named one of the “Best Children’s Books of the Year” by the Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College, 2006.