Anyway, I was only 7 when I started reading this and I remember making my way to the living room, settling down on the carpet with a glass of orange juice and diving into Brazil. Even to this day, this has been the only school curriculum book that has remained with me - I detested all the others, 'Hamlet, Swiss Family Robinson, The Old Man and the Sea, etc., etc.', simply because studying literature at school was the ultimate buzz kill. But seriously, I hated The Old Man and the Sea - it made me want to stab someone, pull my hair out, or scream at the old man to jump into the sea to end his deluded life. Ironically, Ernest Hemingway, the author, did take his own life ... sad. The man had quite a life, survived 2 plane crashes, a bush fire and served in the war.
Martin is fifteen and he lives with his elderly aunt, close to the sea. Every day he goes with his friend (can't remember name - not important) to gaze at the ships coming in from exotic countries. His best friend is an Irish sailor called Barney and Barney's ship is in the harbour, about to sail off to some foreign land. Barney is burly as a sailor can be, with bushy hair and a beard to match, and most importantly, a father to Martin. On one windy day, Martin and his friend decide to take a rowboat out. They underestimate the nasty squall and Martin is blown out to sea. In desperation, his friend races to tell Barney whose ship is about to leave Merry Old England for a good long time and she sets sail quickly. Luckily for Martin who's almost passed out, Barney spots him and after a heroic rescue, Martin is aboard the (again, name not important) xxx, seaward bound for a spicy land. Hehe. Spice traders.
Initially, Martin is struck by worry and homesickness, but he doesn't have time for all that as he is quickly put to work on the ship. After several weeks at sea, their ship is attacked by pirates and only through Barney's quick thinking, he and Martin manage to escape. They land on the shores of Brazil, at the edge of the Amazon jungle and from here on, their true adventure and test of survival begins. They encounter many animals, flora, natives, traders as they travel through the country. Barney is humorous, often keeping Martin entertained with tales of sailors and their adventures. They both have dreams of what they want to do in Brazil - for Barney, he wants to see the diamond mines while Martin wishes to visit the northern cities. Chased by crocodiles, attacked by natives, the two end up being separated and taken to different villages. We follow Martin's life as a slave and his determination to escape.
For such a small book, it packs a lot of description, action and events - I learned so much about the Amazon wildlife and the absoluteness of Mother Nature from this. Some might think of it as cruel, but Mother Nature is Mother Nature and it's important to know and respect this. Most of all, there is the strength of the human spirit and the message of how important it is to never give up. Growing up, I've lost count of how many times I've read this book. And then I forgot about it for 20 years. Then out of the blue, it just popped back into my head and I had to find it again. Google and Amazon searches left me flabbergasted at the price (they are no longer in print) but luckily, 2 great friends of mine managed to locate copies for me and voila, I had one book shipped from Fiji and the other from England. So now, I have 2 copies. :) I read them both. I'm saving them for my own children, should I ever have any. :)