The Little Yarnmouth Abduction

by Tim Van Minton

Falsely accused of murder, twelve-year-old Evan Peregrine battles through a raging storm to get home to the island of Little Yarnmouth, only to find it deserted. Now he must avoid being captured by the police while trying to track down the missing islanders, prove his innocence in a murder, and uncover who is responsible for the Little Yarnmouth Abduction.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Suspense, Fiction, Adventure, Action

204 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2016

Reviews

[Archit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bucket of nightmares!



Evan Peregrine, a 12 year old protagonist, is terrified with the past events in his life. Loss of his mother and his leg, are the tormenting nightmares that he can't seem to get rid of. The thoughts of unacceptable behaviors of bullies are also proliferating in his mind. All in all, not one thing is going good for our small protagonist.

But what events follows next is something you should definitely watch!

Its conceptualization was completely novel to me. This is an intelligently written book that will blow your mind. Hundred and One percent! The book is focused on the young generation and it does justice to everything.

It was a pretty quick read and the amazing plot increased my expectations from it to a superior level. In each and every chapter, I held my breath just to watch what happens next. Clever - is the word that's I remember when I am reminded of this book. Wait, entertaining, engaging, excellent are few to name too.

This is a smart book! To all the young adult readers, I will recommend this book highly. Fascinating characters thrilled my mind and they'll stay with me. Don't let the cover fool you, what it contains inside its pages is pure awesomeness. A page-turning story, indeed.

Verdict : Promising. I do hope that the author writes next part of it.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this novel in a goodreads drawing.

After climate change, the oceans are much higher. A young man sails to a school he hates every day. When every denizen of the island is kidnapped, he gets the blame, and has to clear his name.

Not bad, if a little far fetched, even for a book of this kind.

[Heena Rathore Rathore-Pardeshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Little Yarnmouth Abduction by Tim Van Minton is a delightful Young Adult read that will capture your heart and leave you smiling in its wake.

I've been reviewing books for almost 3 whole years now and sometimes I come across a book that makes me realize again just why I keep on reading self-published books and reviewing them month after month. Ever so often I come across books that completely steal my heart and leave a long lasting impression on me, sometimes so strong that I have to read those books again, and again, to relive their brilliance. The Little Yarnmouth Abduction is exactly that kind of a book (and so much more, if I am being truly honest.)

Recently, there has been a steady stream of hit YA books that are making big bucks all around the world. Some are good and some are, well, not so good, but when I read this book they all paled in comparison. I honestly don't know where to begin praising this book, and even how to do it. This book is a delightful, delightful read. I savored reading each and every single page of it and, in fact, looked forward to reading the entire book again as soon as I finished it.



The storyline was well thought out and, for me, simply astonishing. I have never heard of mass island kidnapping or anything close, so I thoroughly enjoyed the story all the way through. It was a marvelously brilliant and an extremely clever plot and I loved the pacing and tension that the author cleverly practiced.

The characterization was so brilliant that I'm pretty sure I fell in love with Evan the moment he got up groggily from his sleep on the first-second page and innocently attached his leg to his knee. He is sure to stay with me forever as one of my favorite (and awfully adorable) characters. The cast of secondary characters was equally brilliant and I loved each and every single one of them.



The ending was absolutely smashing as it gave me hopes that there's a second part on the way (or at least I hope that it is.) The writing was clever and smooth and the light and witty tone of narration was a perfect fit for this story.

I would recommend this book to each and every person who loves reading a good book with impressive characters. I am very sure that this book will definitely win your heart in the first chapter itself.

You can also read this review at The Reading Bud

[CT · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story! I went through a lot of highs as I read this book. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the true joys of reading a good book when I was in grade and middle school – back when books did not have to resort to shock baits, inappropriate content or superfluous modern-day angst.

Honestly, the title and cover design made me think it was just another generic YA story. I am glad in this case, my first impressions were unreliable. Mr. Van Minton’s writing was engaging and the storyline just kept me going on and on, flipping the pages to find out where it would lead me next.

Evan is a good main character for this story aimed at middle-graders. He is everything a 12-yo boy should be – curious, adventurous, stubborn, cautious about dreams, nervous about Nira (his developing crush and sidekick), brave when needed, determined and definitely imaginative. I am so relieved that in this story, there is no need for him to be immersed in video games. It’s a good demonstration that outdoor living, sailing in the open seas, exploring sewers, fighting school bullies and arctic pirates (yes), working hard during detention, and even handling false accusations is all part of life, and can make life exciting. This is how I remember my boyhood. This is how I believe all boys should live.

I am so looking forward to more adventure stories from this author. I want more of his imagination. I will definitely add in my kids’ reviews of this book as comments to this one, once they get the chance to read it themselves. I wish this were part of their reading list, instead of some geeky-love-story-through-texting light fare.

I received a review copy of this book from the author.

[Michelle Arredondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised...OMG this book was not what I was expecting and I am glad for that.

Although I did request this book...I quickly had my doubts. Yes, I judged a book by the cover!! I got my hands on my copy, saw the cover and went, "Meh....". Not going to lie, I was not impressed. It's not the worst...it just gave me an impression that I was going to read this very Sci-Fi, heavily technically worded, boring book. I can't help it...I thought that. And then I started reading. I wasted no time getting into this book.

So as the story goes....Little 12 year old Evan Peregrine plagued by this horrible nightmares where he relives the experience of losing both his mother and his leg. His real life not much better as he is plagued by one particular bully and several other goons harassing him on the daily. Then comes an adventure...and I don't even want to give away any details. It's only 204 pages....it's a fast read...it's quick and wonderful....and just amazing.

The cover does not match the story....don't let it fool you into keeping this book at the wayside..aka..TBR land. This is a great book...



Thanks as always to the wonderful peeps at goodreads and to the author Tim Van Minton for my opportunity to receive this book for free in exchange for an honest review to which I gladly and voluntarily gave.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pleasant read for me. It would be better suited for someone around 10-14 years old, but I like a good kids’ book every once in a while. The characters were developed well, the writing was easy and flowed nicely, the plot kept be guessing, and overall it was a read that had good plot structure.

One of my favorite parts of the book would have to be Charles, the giant rat who liked to play catch. Would I want to meet him in real life? Absolutely not! But, I thought it was cute and a nice addition to the story – don’t judge someone/something just by their looks.

Another of my favorite aspect of the book is the fact that Evan has a prosthetic leg. It is only mentioned a few times, which I cannot help to think that this might have been intentional. Evan accomplished a lot throughout the novel, even with a prosthetic leg. This can be a great discussion with children about what people are capable of doing, even if they have a physical handicap.

https://bookloverblogs.com/2017/01/16...

[Heather Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing. When I first got the book, I was intrigued by its synopsis and how the story would be. Then I started reading the book, and to be honest, I was a little confused by the boat/ocean related terminology. The story progressed at a fast yet steady pace, and I absolutely loved that development of the plot. The cliffhangers were perfect, the background story and history of the Arctic tribes were superb. It made me think that the Arctic tribes were realistic instead of fictional. I will say though that the main character acted like more of the average 15 year old boy than his 12 year old self. In my mind, they were teenagers instead of pre-teens.

My curiosity, though, lingered on the mysterious tattoo on the main character's head. I was dying to find out more about it, but the ending did not really satisfy my aimless curiosity. I am hoping that there will be a sequel to this novel because I honestly fell in love with it more than I thought I would. Can't wait to see what happens next.

[Lelia Y Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting adventure story to be enjoyed by the juvenile set!

This was a fun story for the young reader. No profanity, well written adventure on the sea. I enjoyed the book.

[Tobyann Aparisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads for an honest review. I found this to be a refreshingly well-written book with exquisitely created characters with scenery and situations that give the reader a lot to take in and enjoy. I highly recommend this story to anyone who is looking for a new and fresh type of story to delve into. This is a great read that is wonderful for all the ages.

[Susan Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evan Peregrine lives with his Uncle Cedric on tiny Little Yarnmouth island, population thirty-something, and takes his boat to school in Middle Langton each school day. Bully and over privileged Barry Potts is a constant thorn in Evan’s side and, when he and Evan are forced to spend an afternoon in detention together, Evan suddenly finds himself a murder suspect.

When I began reading this book I had no idea what was to come. The Little Yarnmouth begins like a somewhat typical story of an outcast, trying to get through life and unfolds into a truly imaginative tale that includes a host of interesting characters and tons of adventure.

The author’s writing is intelligent and engaging. I certainly don’t think this book is just for kids. Adults will enjoy it as well. Although the main character is only twelve, the book isn’t written in an immature voice. This is a wonderful, original dystopian adventure!

5 of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton, https://ebookreviewgal.com

[Amber Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.**

This was such a cute book! Just barely 200 pages, but great for such a short read. It was a fun mystery and I liked that the focus was on young kids solving a crime rather than adults. It brought something new and was very enjoyable.

[Judi Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. Received a free review copy.**

Description: the story is set in the far north of Scotland after climate change has melted the great ice sheets. Little Yarnmouth inhabitants have disappeared because of nefarious plans laid by powerful persons living in Middle Langton, across the bay. The kidnapping is performed by members of tribes roving further south than hitherto because of the thaw. The protagonists are two teenagers, Evan and Nira. They are helped by a middle-aged eccentric who lives very comfortably in the sewers beneath Middle Langton; his regular companions are Corporal Punishment and a very large rat.

Author: Tim Van Minton ‘loves cold places and warm people’. Thereafter, different sources give different information. At the end of the book he says he lives in a boat on the north coast of Scotland with two dogs, finishing his next novel; on Goodreads he says he lives mostly in New York with his wife, son and cat. Van Minton plans a trilogy of which The Little Yarnmouth Abduction is the first book. Meanwhile he has written and published St Georges P.R.S. which is another YA book, with leanings towards the paranormal.

Appraisal: When I was a teenager (back when gin was tuppence a tot) there were no books aimed at teenagers. Once one had consumed the contents of the children’s shelves at the library it was on to Mills & Boon and Zane Grey. This may explain why I enjoy the genre now. And what a rich genre it is for writers!

The book’s premise is intriguing. How will people living near what used to be ice sheets fare when those ice sheets are gone? It makes a nice change from witches, wizards, vampires, werewolves and other urban fantasy tropes.

It is when dealing with boats that the story is strongest; be it a dinghy with an outboard, a power launch, a dilapidated coaster, a tug, a mistreated hover craft or a well-maintained patrol vessel, each vessel is lovingly created and completely credible and pertinent to the story. Van Minton loves his boats. As do I. Everyone in the story has recourse to boats as their primary means of transport. The constant threat to water travel from ice bergs is nicely drawn. There are a few references to how the lost ice impacts the world in other ways.

The plot proceeds briskly. Occasionally elements of it feel a bit as if they have been randomly generated. There is a mushroom fight which is an original idea, but stretches credulity. From time to time the suspension of disbelief is difficult to maintain; for example, at one point three people hide behind adjacent, floor-length curtains and are not discovered.

I wondered, almost from the outset (and before I checked) whether the author was American, rather than Scottish – and so it proved. I didn’t get a feel of Scottishness from the story (despite attempts at dialect): rather a sensation of the Pacific Northwest in the USA. Tribes emerging out of the disappearing pack ice, with strangely Native American names such as Conkwoyoto, might have been more believable in that location.

FYI: When the great ice sheets melt, oceans will rise. Substantially. The book does not deal with that at all. I wondered, as I read it, how come the rise in sea level had made no difference to the island on which Yarnmouth and Middle Langton stand: how had it not flooded the sewers, submerged the quays, driven the population to live on the hills? What about the Faroe Islands (which figure in the story): would they not be drowned? Positing little or no rise in sea levels as the Earth warms up flies in the face of current credible scholarship and feels misleading to me.

Format/Typo Issues: the book would benefit from a thorough edit. Punctuation and spelling aren’t as reliable as they should be. The odd authorial idiosyncrasy becomes trying. For example, characters ‘cry’ things to each other frequently, often when they have just been shushing each other because people wishing them harm are in close proximity.

[Natalia Corres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Evan has lost his leg and his mother - yet while he has nightmares about both, he doesn't seem particularly handicapped by these events - as evidenced by the all too typical pre-adolescent bullying he experiences while attending school on another island. I have not lived in the northern islands of Scotland but I imagine it is very insular, and so the interplay that we see at the start of the book is believable. As the book progresses, more and more unusual and improbable things occur - but that is what makes for a good tale.
A writing coach once told a class I attended that to write a good book, you must throw metaphorical rocks at your character as often as possible - basically "kick 'em when they are up and kick 'em when they are down". Mr. Van Minton does exactly that. If his villains are a bit too villain-y sometimes or his quirky characters are a bit too eccentric, it still moves us along while the rocks are being thrown...and besides life is like that depending on whose side of a story you are listening to.... I enjoyed this book mostly because it took me to places I have not been before in any of the genres I read - and that made it very enjoyable.

[Jamie Wickenhagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing story, incredible read, and I definitely recommend

[Lauren Belmonte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much more than I expected! Definitely a YA genre gem.

[Kathy Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this Kindle Edition book on a Goodreads Giveaway - thank you to everyone involved!!
A well written Young Adult book - I recommend!!

[CtheB · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author's imagination is incredible! The creation of Charles alone is enough to make me want to keep reading. More importantly, this author does a seamless job of melding various backstories into one while keeping the suspense and mystery going until the end. While I have not read much of the YA genre of late, this book sucked me in, and I kept wanting to read the next chapter to find out what happens. To me, that is always the best indicator of a good book. I recommend this book to all ages as it is not just YA but certainly applies to a more wide-ranging audience. The writing itself is brilliantly descriptive. The only constructive criticism I have to offer is that it ended a bit too abruptly for my taste without enough resolution to the main issue (even though, no doubt, there is more to come). Looking forward to reading whatever comes next from Mr. Van Minton.

[Marion Marchetto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve year old Evan Peregrine is plagued by nightmares where he relives the accident at sea where he lost not only his leg but his mother as well. Currently living with his Uncle Cedric on the small island of Little Yarnmouth, his days are filled with his studies at school on the neighboring island of Middle Langton where he is constantly being bullied by B. H. Potts, a rich boy who looks down on him. With a storm brewing, Evan keeps his eye on the sky during his after school detention. But detention is only the beginning of his problems as he is quickly accusing, by B.H. Potts of course, of having murdered the teacher who ordered the detention. Evan makes a run for it. He aims his little boat into the wild storm and sets course for Little Yarnmouth but instead is blown ashore on to a third island, Little Reikel, where he meets Nira. Nira is about his age and is an actress in the making. She persuades Evan to take her with him as her father took their boat over to Middle Langton. Along the way they stop at Little Yarnmouth to find the island completely deserted of its inhabitants. They do find two rather shady characters resting in another boat at the pier.

As Evan sets about to prove his innocence and rescue the abducted residents of Little Yarnmouth, he runs into several colorful characters, among them a dog named Corporal Punishment and a rat named Charles who likes to play fetch. Eventually Evan's name is cleared, his nightmares although not gone now have an newly added aspect, and the rescued islanders look at him in a heroic fashion.

Although this book is geared toward young adult readers there is much here for the adult reader as well. Well drawn characters, a setting that is harsh and unforgiving (North Scotland Isles), a plot full of twists and turns, and a mystery unlike any other I've read all make for a page-turning story that will hold your interest. Happily, the conclusion lends itself to a possible sequel. A great story to be read by parents with their children.

[Maddie Kileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character is Evan, a 12-year-old boy with a prosthetic leg who is inquisitive, intelligent, and struggles with the occasional bullies at school. It all begins with Evan being framed for the murder of his teacher, and turns into an adventure that leads Evan to discover mysteries of his past and embark on an adventure to save the abducted islanders. Along his way, he will figure out how all these pieces are connected: the murder, the abduction, the mysterious pirates, and the mysterious death of mother. Throughout the development of the plot and progression of the story, Evan really finds himself and becomes more comfortable in his skin. At times, I even forgot Evan was 12 years old, considering the bravery he exemplifies throughout the book.

Along Evans’ adventures of finding the abducted islanders, fighting the Conkwytoo, and running from the police on Middle Langton island he meets many fun characters. I loved the names Tim Van Minton chose for the characters; all of them were unique and made me smile. Some of my favorite names were Don the Baker, Corporal Punishment (the dog), and Junius Vansiclen. Additionally, it was cool that the author incorporated the threat of world climate change in the book, a topic that many need to be educated on.

The Little Yarnmouth Abduction is a thrilling, heartwarming, and “coming of age” story. I couldn’t put the book down, as I was so curious how it would end. Reading this book while also having midterms wasn’t a great combination (for the midterms!) I’m also glad the story concluded on an open-ended note – suggesting there is a sequel in the mix! I would suggest this book for young adult readers, ages 10-18, however the story can be enjoyed by all ages. Thank you Tim Van Minton for sharing your book with me. I loved having the opportunity to read and enjoy The Little Yarnmouth Abduction. Looking forward to a sequel!

[Nicole Kapral · Rating 2 out of 5]

**I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.**

I'm going to start by saying that it has been a while since I've read this teen-fiction type of book and it is no longer my favorite genre. I prefer longer books with more character and plot development and thus, I was not overly impressed. However, to judge it more fairly in comparison to others of its category, it was overall entertaining.

The action begins quite early, which is good for capturing readers quickly. There are several elements to the plot and at times it is seemingly random or disjointed. By the end there is an entirely new tribe being introduced and adding their 10 pages worth of mayhem. It sets up well for one or more sequels, but much of the information is very superficial, which I do not personally enjoy. It's good for young readers who want a fast-paced story in a quick read, but be prepared to read the sequels or be left hanging.

[Marina Spirova · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "The Little Yarnmouth Abduction" is very interesting young adults adventure book. I would not say that it is a distopian novel, since the information about what actually happened to the world is very scares. Nevertheless, the book is quite interesting. It is easy and fast to read and very, very pleasant. It has a lot of action and it really captivating.

"The Little Yarnmouth Abduction" is a book that has a lot to offer and that has and it characters can teach us a lot about what bravery is.

It is a book that I am really happy I had the opportunity to read.

[Chiek Er · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suited for adolescent and young adults.

Uncomplicated and easy to follow. Took me back to my younger days when I chewed on mystery novels such as the Hardy boys. A throw back to ancient tribes but reminded that the story is of modern times plagued by cellular phones. A bit hard to imagine giant rats playing catch and cozy abode in the sewers.

[Michelle Lowry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting

I teach 6th grade and am always looking for books that will interest my students. This book is easy to read and keeps the reader's interest. What a fun story with some unexpected characters!

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.