Attack of the Turtle - Carlson, Drew. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2006. 149p. $16.00, hardcover. ISBN-10: 0-8028-5308-0. ISBN-13: 978-08028-5308-0. www.eerdmans.com Fiction Submarines (Ships)—Fiction. Inventors—Fiction. United States— History—Revolution, 1775-1783—Naval operations—Juvenile fiction.

The year is 1776. A battle is being waged in New York harbor. Fourteen-yearold Nathan Wade is frightened by two things: being beaten up by a bully smaller than he is, and water (even though his father is a fisherman).

In spite of Nathan’s fears, he agrees to help his cousin, David Bushnell, recently graduated from Yale, build a secret weapon to stop the British fleet—a submarine to be known as the American Turtle. Reluctantly, but with a firm belief in the American cause, this young patriot faces his fears.

Hiding the fact that he is underage, Nate enlists in the army. Before a battle, he recalls what his pa told him: “Real courage isn’t not feeling afraid. If you weren’t afraid, you wouldn’t need courage, right? … Courage is doing the right thing, even when you’re scared to death.” Nate learns to overcome the Goliaths in his life, whether the British navy or the local bully, by handling one skirmish at a time.

This story is based on historical events surrounding the first submarine to be used in the American Revolution. Carlson combines intrigue in this fastmoving plot with accurate details based on records and diaries. Readers eight and up will be thrilled with the story and want to know more about the first submarine. The diagram and references are helpful.

Mary Lou Henneman
Boardman United Methodist Church
Boardman, Ohio