Captains Courageous

Captains Courageous
by Rudyard Kipling

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About Book

From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up-When Rudyard Kipling took up residence in the U.S., he found intriguing characters in the sailing men of New England. This dramatization of his classic novel focuses on a good-humored, hard-working Gloucester fisherman who rescues a spoiled rich boy, Harvey Cheynen, when he falls off a passing steamship. Unconvinced by Harvey's story that his father is a millionaire, Captain Disko Troop and the crew of the We're Here teach the boy the value of a job well done. When the ship returns to port several months later, Harvey is reunited with his exultant parents and there are happy surprises for everyone. Toni Jourdan's adaptation uses key elements of the original text, and the story is presented with enough gusto to give young listeners a taste of Kipling's style. Though some accents lack authenticity and a few performances are uneven, the use of appropriate sound effects enhances this generally well done production by the St. Charles Players. Repeating the last line on the next side of the cassette interrupts the flow of the story but may help youngsters keep their place. The cover art has eye appeal, but the box is made of lightweight cardboard. Playing portions of this dramatization would make an excellent book talk; using it as a whole would give upper elementary and middle school students additional exposure to the works of Kipling.
Barbara S. Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Harvey Cheyne, the spoiled fifteen-year-old son of a millionaire, falls from an ocean liner off the coast of Newfoundland in the 1890's. Rescued by the crew of a fishing schooner, he must remain on board and work the season. His experiences and the bonds he forms with the crew change him from a spoiled adolescent to a self-reliant young man. This production is an excellent choice for family listening. It's well-read by David Stuart, with believable New England and various foreign accents. Lots of action and interesting conversations portraying life aboard a fishing schooner keep the pace moving. Here's a notable example of how well classics can work on audio. M.A.M. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Henry James
The most complete man of genius I have ever known

Book Description
Harvey Cheyne is the over-indulged son of a millionaire. When he falls overboard from an ocean liner he is rescued by a Portuguese fisherman and, initially against his will, joins the crew of the We're Here for a summer. Through the medium of an exciting adventure story, Captains Courageous (1897) deals with a boy who like Mowgli in The Jungle Book, is thrown into an entirely alien environment. The superstitious, magical world of the sea and the tough, orderly, physical world of the boat form a backdrop to Harvey's regeneration. Kipling describes the fascination skills of the schooner fishermen who would soon be made redundant by the twentieth century, and makes the ship function as a convincing model for a society engaged in a difficult and dangerous task. The introduction to this edition examines its place among other maritime novels and among Kipling's own work, and explanatory notes clarify the seafaring terms and historical and geographical references.

Download Description
It thrilled through him when he first felt the keel answer to his band on the spokes and slide over the long hollows as the foresail scythed back and forth against the blue sky. That was magnificent, in spite of Disko saying that it would break a snake's back to follow his wake. But, as usual, pride ran before a fall.

The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature
(in full Captains Courageous, A Story of the Grand Banks) Novel of maritime adventure by Rudyard Kipling, published as a serial in McClure's magazine beginning in 1896 and in book form in 1897. The action of the novel takes place on the We're Here, a small fishing boat whose crew members rescue the protagonist, Harvey Cheyne, when he is washed overboard from an ocean liner. The captain refuses to take him back to port and instead makes Harvey a member of the crew. The rest of the story focuses on Harvey's personal transformation from the arrogant, pampered son of a millionaire to an admirable young man who has learned the values of hard work, simple living, and self-reliance.

Card catalog description
After being washed overboard from an ocean liner, fifteen-year-old Harvey Cheyne, spoiled son of a millionaire, is rescued by New England fishermen who put him to work on their boat.

From the Publisher
The only one of Kipling's novels to be cast in an American setting, Captains Courageous endures as one of literature's most cherished and memorable sea adventures. Harvey Cheyne, spoiled millionaire's son, tumbles overboard from a luxury liner--only to be rescued by the crew of a Gloucester schooner. Thus begins the boy's second voyage into the rugged rites and ways of sailors. Like all Kipling's masterworks, Captains Courageous is an interweaving of art and moral purpose. Angus Wilson has said that it shows "delicacy of craft and violence of feeling, exactitude and wile impressionism, subtlety and true innocence." A popular favorite since its first publication in 1897, the novel remains a classic story of youthful initiation--and a lively tribute to the author's famous code of bravery, loyalty, an honor among men.

Inside Flap Copy
The only one of Kipling's novels to be cast in an American setting, Captains Courageous endures as one of literature's most cherished and memorable sea adventures. Harvey Cheyne, spoiled millionaire's son, tumbles overboard from a luxury liner--only to be rescued by the crew of a Gloucester schooner. Thus begins the boy's second voyage into the rugged rites and ways of sailors. Like all Kipling's masterworks, Captains Courageous is an interweaving of art and moral purpose. Angus Wilson has said that it shows "delicacy of craft and violence of feeling, exactitude and wile impressionism, subtlety and true innocence." A popular favorite since its first publication in 1897, the novel remains a classic story of youthful initiation--and a lively tribute to the author's famous code of bravery, loyalty, an honor among men.

About the Author
Kipling was born in Bombay in 1865 and sent to England where he was educated at United Services College, Westward Ho!, in Devon. He returned to India in 1880 where he worked as a journalist on the Lahore Civil and Military Gazette. His Plain Tales from the Hills and Soldiers Three quickly won him a reputation in England, to where he returned and settled in 1889. The Light that Failed, his first attempt at a full-length novel, was published the following year and in 1892 he married the daughter of an American publisher. The Seven Seas (1896), a collection of verse, and the short story collections Many Inventions and The Days Work were all brilliantly successful. The Jungle Books (1894) have become classics in animal stories, and Stalky & Co(1899) presents semi-autobiographical episodes, based on the author's schooldays. Kim appeared in 1901 and the classic Just So Stories the following year. Kipling's real merit as a writer has been undermined by accusations of jingoism and imperialism. This ignores the real quality of the main body of his work, as well as his own criticisms of the less admirable aspects of imperialism. He was awarded The Nobel Prize for literature in 1907.

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