**From the author of the Michael L. Printz award–winning novel ***In Darkness*** comes a critically-acclaimed, fast-paced thriller that's as dangerous as the seas on which it's set.**
The last thing Amy planned to do this summer was sail around the world trapped on a yacht with her father and her stepmother. Really, all she wanted was to fast-forward to October when she'll turn
eighteen and take control of her own life.
Aboard the *Daisy May*, Amy spends time sunbathing, dolphin watching and forgetting the past as everything floats by . . . until one day in the Gulf of Aden another boat appears. A boat with guns and pirates – the kind that kill.
Immediately, the pirates seize the boat and its human cargo. Hostage One is Amy's father – the most valuable. Hostage Two: her stepmother. And Hostage Three is Amy, who can't believe what's happening. As the ransom brokering plays out, Amy finds herself becoming less afraid, and even
stranger still, drawn to one of her captors, a teenage boy who wants desperately to be more than who he has become. Suddenly it becomes brutally clear that the price of life and its value are two very different things . . .
**
### From School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up–Amy Fields walks out of her A Level exams required for entrance into the Royal Academy; she is still grieving over her mother's death and cares little about the future. Her rich father and new stepmother hope that sailing around the world will allow much-needed family bonding, but the idyllic trip ends when Somalian pirates seize their yacht and hold them for ransom. Tension is palpable as the frightened family and crew become pawns in the businesslike negotiations. Although carefully guarded with machine guns, the British teen observes a pecking order among her captors and befriends Farouz, the pirates' handsome translator. They share memories of personal pain that include Amy's mother's suicide, the execution of Farouz's parents, and the political imprisonment of his brother. Their stories are vivid and poignant, adding layers to a rich characterization, especially details of Somalian culture and mythology. Amy falls in love, understanding Farouz's vow to use ransom money to free his brother, but is startled back to reality when he agrees to follow orders to shoot her on command. Circumstances become dire when she learns secrets about her father's business that jeopardize their release, and rival pirates and the navy get involved. The author playfully tells Amy's account of the rescue the way she hoped it would play out, and then again, as it actually happened. The narrative twist is brilliant, taking readers on an emotional ride to the very last page.–Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NYα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
### Review
“* Intelligent, empathetic, and eye-opening.” ―*Booklist, starred review, on Hostage Three*
“* Perceptive and harrowing. . . . An inventive narrative construction . . . plays on the highly unstable situation of this utterly compelling read.” ―*Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Hostage Three*
“* Vivid and poignant. . . . The narrative twist is brilliant, taking readers on an emotional ride to the very last page.” ―*School Library Journal, starred review, on Hostage Three*
“* This double-helix-of-a-story explores the nature of freedom, humanity, survival and hope. A dark journey well worth taking-engrossing, disturbing, illuminating.” ―*Kirkus reviews, starred review, on IN DARKNESS*
“* A startling but successful feat of literary imagination. . . . Powerful and moving.” ―*PW, starred review, on IN DARKNESS*
“A likely eye-opener for teenage readers. . . . *In Darkness* works on multiple levels by blurring realities--telescoping across time, between dreams and waking, and . . . between the depiction of Haiti by the artist and Haiti itself. This is what makes the novel so gripping.” ―*The New York Times, on IN DARKNESS*
“Remarkable. . . . Lake's elegant, restrained prose and distinct characters will reward adults and older teenagers able to brave a story with strong language, harrowing scenes of brutality and an almost painful stab of joy at the end.” ―*Wall Street Journal, on IN DARKNESS*
“A bold storytelling move ripe for reader discussion. . . . Provocative, daring, and sure to be polarizing. Lake does not shy from the graphic depiction of life in past or present Haiti. . . . Such grittiness elevates his story above and beyond more typical historical fiction and gives the events an edge not found in classroom social studies lessons. . . . Readers are sure to have a hard time looking away.” ―*VOYA, on IN DARKNESS*
Description:
**From the author of the Michael L. Printz award–winning novel ***In Darkness*** comes a critically-acclaimed, fast-paced thriller that's as dangerous as the seas on which it's set.** The last thing Amy planned to do this summer was sail around the world trapped on a yacht with her father and her stepmother. Really, all she wanted was to fast-forward to October when she'll turn eighteen and take control of her own life. Aboard the *Daisy May*, Amy spends time sunbathing, dolphin watching and forgetting the past as everything floats by . . . until one day in the Gulf of Aden another boat appears. A boat with guns and pirates – the kind that kill. Immediately, the pirates seize the boat and its human cargo. Hostage One is Amy's father – the most valuable. Hostage Two: her stepmother. And Hostage Three is Amy, who can't believe what's happening. As the ransom brokering plays out, Amy finds herself becoming less afraid, and even stranger still, drawn to one of her captors, a teenage boy who wants desperately to be more than who he has become. Suddenly it becomes brutally clear that the price of life and its value are two very different things . . . ** ### From School Library Journal Gr 8 Up–Amy Fields walks out of her A Level exams required for entrance into the Royal Academy; she is still grieving over her mother's death and cares little about the future. Her rich father and new stepmother hope that sailing around the world will allow much-needed family bonding, but the idyllic trip ends when Somalian pirates seize their yacht and hold them for ransom. Tension is palpable as the frightened family and crew become pawns in the businesslike negotiations. Although carefully guarded with machine guns, the British teen observes a pecking order among her captors and befriends Farouz, the pirates' handsome translator. They share memories of personal pain that include Amy's mother's suicide, the execution of Farouz's parents, and the political imprisonment of his brother. Their stories are vivid and poignant, adding layers to a rich characterization, especially details of Somalian culture and mythology. Amy falls in love, understanding Farouz's vow to use ransom money to free his brother, but is startled back to reality when he agrees to follow orders to shoot her on command. Circumstances become dire when she learns secrets about her father's business that jeopardize their release, and rival pirates and the navy get involved. The author playfully tells Amy's account of the rescue the way she hoped it would play out, and then again, as it actually happened. The narrative twist is brilliant, taking readers on an emotional ride to the very last page.–Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NYα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. ### Review “* Intelligent, empathetic, and eye-opening.” ―*Booklist, starred review, on Hostage Three* “* Perceptive and harrowing. . . . An inventive narrative construction . . . plays on the highly unstable situation of this utterly compelling read.” ―*Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Hostage Three* “* Vivid and poignant. . . . The narrative twist is brilliant, taking readers on an emotional ride to the very last page.” ―*School Library Journal, starred review, on Hostage Three* “* This double-helix-of-a-story explores the nature of freedom, humanity, survival and hope. A dark journey well worth taking-engrossing, disturbing, illuminating.” ―*Kirkus reviews, starred review, on IN DARKNESS* “* A startling but successful feat of literary imagination. . . . Powerful and moving.” ―*PW, starred review, on IN DARKNESS* “A likely eye-opener for teenage readers. . . . *In Darkness* works on multiple levels by blurring realities--telescoping across time, between dreams and waking, and . . . between the depiction of Haiti by the artist and Haiti itself. This is what makes the novel so gripping.” ―*The New York Times, on IN DARKNESS* “Remarkable. . . . Lake's elegant, restrained prose and distinct characters will reward adults and older teenagers able to brave a story with strong language, harrowing scenes of brutality and an almost painful stab of joy at the end.” ―*Wall Street Journal, on IN DARKNESS* “A bold storytelling move ripe for reader discussion. . . . Provocative, daring, and sure to be polarizing. Lake does not shy from the graphic depiction of life in past or present Haiti. . . . Such grittiness elevates his story above and beyond more typical historical fiction and gives the events an edge not found in classroom social studies lessons. . . . Readers are sure to have a hard time looking away.” ―*VOYA, on IN DARKNESS*