Reviews for Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History

The average rating for Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-01-11 00:00:00 Kevin Tigers This story begins with a modern day young girl who wants to be a detective. Her dad is a reporter and that's like being a detective. She presents the facts of the Mary Celeste, asks important questions that might help solve the mystery and allows the reader to draw their own conclusions. I don't think I've heard this story before. It's certainly something I would have been interested in, being obsessed with the 19th-century. I like how she (the narrator and the author) has text boxes to introduce unfamiliar vocabulary to readers. The story is captivating and I really don't have a clue except that they must have felt they were in immediate danger and grabbed and dashed off. If the Captain and family left to go visiting the crew would have been left behind. Likewise some of the crew would have remained if others went off on an expedition. This is a good mystery book for older kids 7-10 to read on their own even though it's a picture book.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-05-02 00:00:00 FRANK HORN The Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History by Jane Yolen, illustrated Heidi E.Y. Stemple, is a look at the disappearance of the crew of the Mary Celeste in 1872 in the Atlantic Ocean. A young girl realtes the facts and theories about the case, and challenges readers to solve the mystery. The text clearly presents the facts and theories surrounding the disappearance of the crew and passengers. The format includes definitions of nautical terms, a map, timeline and notes by the girl narrator. The illustrations were done with transparent watercolor, with pencil for detail and texture. They support the text and are well rendered, drawing readers into the story. Of the six thories mentioned, I personally favor either the frightened crew theory or the weather theory, or a combination of the two. The crew could have been frightened by alcohol fumes - fearing an explosion, or a seaquake - fearing sinking, leading them to abandon ship. The weather theory culd be a seaquake. The disappearance of the crew could be explained by severe weather that caused the line linking the ship and lifeboat to be severed, leaving the lifeboat to drift away and be capsized. The story could be extended through writing or study of the case through books or available websites. For readers grades five and up, mysteries, history, theories, and fans of Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple.