My Name Is Luke

by Jim Ruddle

Silver Medal Winner, Historic Fiction YA, 2014 Literary Classics Awards

On a quiet day in 1858, two desperate men hijack a schooner from the Marblehead, Massachusetts harbor. Trapped aboard his grandfather’s boat is fifteen-year-old Luke Constance. He is a normal kid who plays pranks on the townsfolk and has a crush on Agatha, his classmate. But Luke is not ordinary—very well versed himself, he reads aloud to workers in small, local shoemaking shops. And he knows more about sailing schooners than most seasoned seamen. Told by Luke with wry humor and a teenager’s sense of fun, this extraordinary adventure confronts the sea’s wrath and men’s foibles and the violent rage of both. In the end, Luke needs every bit of his wit, learning, and resourcefulness to survive.

215 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2014

About the author

Jim Ruddle, longtime radio and television journalist, has a similarly long attachment to sailing. He enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in his teens and became a radio operator aboard ocean station vessels in the Atlantic and Pacific. Following his discharge, he pursued a life of broadcasting and academics, earning graduate degrees and teaching at two major universities. For a break, he crewed on a hurricane-battered schooner attempting a transatlantic crossing and learning the limitations of old wooden boats. Later, he concentrated on television news broadcasting in Chicago for many years, sailing Lake Michigan from May until the snow fell. Leaving that career behind, he lived and cruised aboard a steel-hulled cutter for four years before settling down to residence in the northeast U.S. and sailing the Long Island Sound and New England waters in smaller sailboats. Currently represented by Amika Press.

Reviews

[Literary Classics Book Awards & Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Name is Luke is a light-hearted adventure that takes place in New England near the turn of the 19th century. Luke, a quick-witted young boy, has been raised by his grandparents since losing his folks at a young age.

One day, after nodding off on his grandfather's schooner, Luke is unwittingly kidnapped when two boat thieves set sail with him on board. Luke quickly surmises the ineptness of his accidental captors who know little about sailing and are ill-prepared for their intended journey. He soon realizes that if he is to survive it will be up to him to keep the boat, and all aboard, safe and sound.

Luke's idle meanderings are full of historical tidbits that help keep the story rolling along at a good clip. Growing up during a pivotal time in history, with technology in its infancy, he ponders a good deal of things from how telegraphs work, to the source of electricity.

My Name is Luke serves up a healthy portion of wit wrapped up in a raucously good tale reminiscent of some of the classic literature greats. - This book comes highly recommended and has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.

[Pat Camalliere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke is a fifteen-year-old boy who finds himself held hostage on a stolen sailboat in 1858. Told through his eyes, it is a charming tale that relates in some detail the challenges of sailing during a storm. Although I’m sure there have been many advances over the years, one must assume that battling the elements at sea in a sailboat presents much the same challenges today. Having once been caught in a vicious storm on Lake Michigan (much the same as an ocean storm) the experience was not totally foreign to me. However, managing masts and sails remain beyond me. The author’s knowledge of the navigation of a sailboat under such adverse circumstances was impressive and will surely captivate the most seasoned pleasure sailor.

[Sarah Koz · Rating 5 out of 5]

“My Name is Luke by Jim Ruddle is about a young boy caught in the middle of an unfortunate trip out at sea on a bad day. It all starts when he is awakened on his grandpa’s moored boat by the movements of two men who steal it, believing no one is aboard. They find themselves in very rough and stormy seas. The boy reluctantly becomes one of the crew members to save himself and proves to be a worthy sailor. Together, the trio battles fierce winds and waves and collectively uses their seafaring knowledge to the best of their abilities. A storm of internal conflict hits Luke like the raging storm outside as he tries to deal with the odds of him surviving the ordeal.

“There’s some general light-hearted conversation at the beginning where Jim Ruddle uses humor in a tongue-in-cheek way. It is made possible from the viewpoint of the youthful protagonist, Luke. He innocently points out certain aspects of life—all confusing but funny to the reader who understands why! However, the best part starts on the boat when Luke realizes something is wrong. Jim Ruddle succinctly describes the small boat’s movement and equipment in response to the harsh elements. There are some funny moments depicted in the rhetorical questions and amusing dialogue. For instance, when Luke speaks his mind to one of the men that got under his skin. If you enjoy reading about action at sea, then My Name is Luke by Jim Ruddle will be an enjoyable read for you.” —Bryone Peters, Readers’ Favorite