Abigail Takes the Wheel

by Avi

When the first mate of the freight boat Neptune falls ill, it is up to Abigail, the captain's daughter, to steer the ship up the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York City. Reprint.

Genres: Childrens, Historical Fiction, Picture Books, Fiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Avi is a pen name for Edward Irving Wortis, but he says, "The fact is, Avi is the only name I use." Born in 1937, Avi has created many fictional favorites such as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing but the Truth, and the Crispin series. His work is popular among readers young and old.

Reviews

[Edward Creter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abigail and her brother have to take a ferry to school in New York of the 1880s. But when the ferry almost collides with other trawlers, will they be sleppin' with the schools of fishes? A treat for fans of American History of all ages.

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the “An I Can Read” chapter book series this is based on a story from the early 1880’s thought to be factual about a young schoolgirl who must unexpectedly replace the First Mate at the wheel of a small freight boat after he becomes ill. Her father, Captain Bates, takes over the wheel of a sailing ship recently damaged in a collision with another boat and has the ship towed to Pier 42 up the Hudson River. Through rough waters and navigating her route through the busy New York harbor, Abigail manages to deliver the injured sailing ship safely to the pier, along with the help of her younger brother, while still arriving in New York City in time for school. She becomes heroine of the day and is given new rank of Captain Abigail. Written by popular author Avi, the action-packed story is filled with watercolor and line illustrations that add to the drama. It also includes a map showing the 20 mile route Abigail takes from New Jersey to New York. This would be a good choice for readers at about the 2nd grade level.

[Marcene McClenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book becomes exciting pretty quickly. I love that you see a brother and sister working together as a team. The girl is in charge but not due to any feminist reasoning, but because she was the best fit to solve the problem. You saw the importance of rules and good communication as well. Great little book, probably about a second grade level.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid quick, entertaining story at second grade level.

[Kasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is probably on a 2nd grade level, but I couldn't find an AR score for it. It's a cute story about a heroic girl who rides a steam boat to school through the harbors of New York City back when steam engines were just starting to be widely used, but many of the boats still used sails. My daughter enjoyed it quite a bit. It wasn't anything extra special for me, except that the author mentioned in a note at the end that the story was probably based on something that actually happened.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for practice reading - fun historical fiction!

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. I'll be interested to read the source material - a story published in St. Nicholas magazine.