What do you think?
Rate this book
Chronicles of Courage #3
Voyage of Midnight
Philip is an orphan, and has spent most of his life suffering the cruelties of the workhouse. So when he learns he has an uncle--and not just any uncle, but a rich uncle, captain of his own ship--he sets off for New Orleans to find him.
Find him he does, and when Uncle offers him the position of surgeon's mate on his ship, the Formidable, Philip couldn't be happier. At last, he's found his family! But little does he know the purpose of the journey he's about to embark Uncle is a slave trader, and the ship is bound for Africa to collect their cargo.
Caught between his lifelong desire for a family and the promise of a better life, and the shocking brutality he witnesses aboard the Formidable, Philip must open his eyes and decide for himself the true meaning of family, freedom, and humanity.
Find him he does, and when Uncle offers him the position of surgeon's mate on his ship, the Formidable, Philip couldn't be happier. At last, he's found his family! But little does he know the purpose of the journey he's about to embark Uncle is a slave trader, and the ship is bound for Africa to collect their cargo.
Caught between his lifelong desire for a family and the promise of a better life, and the shocking brutality he witnesses aboard the Formidable, Philip must open his eyes and decide for himself the true meaning of family, freedom, and humanity.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published November 14, 2006
About the author
Michele Torrey
14 books19 followersMichele Torrey, author of chapter books for young readers and novels for middle grade, young adult, and adult, is a two-time Thurber House Residency in Children's Literature nominee, plus a two-time winner of PNWA's Zola Award. Among other honors, her books have received starred reviews from “Publisher’s Weekly” and “Kirkus,” been chosen by the Junior Library Guild, and been nominated for numerous state medals.
Torrey holds a degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Washington (’88), and a Master of Arts in Religion from Graceland University (’06). She currently lives on Fox Island, Washington, but has lived and traveled all over the world. She has three sons and five grandchildren. In addition to her writing and traveling, she is a director and co-founder of Orphans Africa, a 501 c 3 nonprofit charity (www.orphansafrica.org). Orphans Africa works primarily in Tanzania, building boarding schools for children orphaned by AIDS.
Torrey holds a degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Washington (’88), and a Master of Arts in Religion from Graceland University (’06). She currently lives on Fox Island, Washington, but has lived and traveled all over the world. She has three sons and five grandchildren. In addition to her writing and traveling, she is a director and co-founder of Orphans Africa, a 501 c 3 nonprofit charity (www.orphansafrica.org). Orphans Africa works primarily in Tanzania, building boarding schools for children orphaned by AIDS.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 23, 2008
When I first set eyes on this book I thought it would be immensely boring; I saw the movie and judging it by it's high vocabulary I tried to ignore my prediction about how hard the book would be. The first 36 pages perfectly fit my prediction but, I was not even near the gold in the gold mine. Slowly the book filled me with the shiny spirit of the characters and rough hard personality of greedy and rich people. During the book I had mixed feelings such as happiness, sadness, and the feeling of pure hatred. Hatred towards all of the cruel and powerful people who are only satisfied when they have it all. The author, Pullman, clearly wanted to show how amazing it is when a little girl or boy puts his or her mind into something and how much they can achieve. I love the way Pullman grabs you with his words, they are so expressive! He uses words like laboriously, ingratiate, restrained, and incredible phrases like, "the curtains of radiance in the sky"( he is describing the Aurora lights) or "the smoky inconstant glow of the blubber lamps". The greatest lesson that I learned from this book was about how important love is in your life. One of the quotes that I got from the book was "they were clinging together tightly with little shaky sounds of unhappiness coming from them both", this is when two best friends reunite after a terrible separation that tarred both of their hearts apart. The author clearly wants to state that love can kill or incredibly harm you for life, this actually happened in the story and I don't doubt that is has also happened in our own world.
Read
January 27, 2025it alright.
January 18, 2026
One of the books that got me into reading. A story that truly immersed me into the plot and had me actively thinking about history and society as a whole.
February 17, 2012
Sailing is always a fun thing in many people's mind, but once it becomes dangerous, would you still be interested? In the book, Voyage of Midnight, Philip wants to have a better life, so he starts his life on the sea. It's a very appealing book to read because the main character has a hard life to struggle, there is always a new turn, and lot of unexpected things happen.
One reason that Voyage of Midnight is appealing is because the main charecter always has a hard life. Philip lives in a poor family, but things get even worse once his parents all die."Never saw my father...my mother and I lived together for four and a half years at our cottage in Magford, England, before she fell ill and breathed her last.." After Philip becomes an orphan, when he is ten, he starts work for cushion maker, makes hia arm with pain; and then he works in the cotton mill, for sixteen to eighteen hours a day.
The second reason that proves Voyage of Midnight is appealing is there is always a new turn. One day, Master Crump wakes Philip up and tells Philip that there is someone who wants to see him. "I'm no longer alone. I've an uncle...Dear God, an uncle." Philip's uncle comes to sse hime, so Philip's life becomes better. But once his uncle leaves, he doesn't come back anymore, Philip decides to go to New Orleans to search for his uncle, and also count as his first voyage.
The third reason that I like this book Voyage of Midnight is there are always unexpected thing happening. Philip never thought that his uncle was a slave trader and he goes with his uncle to Africa. Philip has his own slave who's name is Pea Soup. Philip teaches Pea Soup English, but Pea Soup never speaks, so Philip thinks maybe is becaose Pea Soup doesn't understand. "Pea Soup hates me. Pea Soup wants me dead. Pea Soup spaek English." Philip never thought that ine day Pea Soup use English to tell him that he hates him. And once I read this part, it also surprised me.
I am very enjoying to read this book, if you want to know more about Philip and his future life, you better try it.
One reason that Voyage of Midnight is appealing is because the main charecter always has a hard life. Philip lives in a poor family, but things get even worse once his parents all die."Never saw my father...my mother and I lived together for four and a half years at our cottage in Magford, England, before she fell ill and breathed her last.." After Philip becomes an orphan, when he is ten, he starts work for cushion maker, makes hia arm with pain; and then he works in the cotton mill, for sixteen to eighteen hours a day.
The second reason that proves Voyage of Midnight is appealing is there is always a new turn. One day, Master Crump wakes Philip up and tells Philip that there is someone who wants to see him. "I'm no longer alone. I've an uncle...Dear God, an uncle." Philip's uncle comes to sse hime, so Philip's life becomes better. But once his uncle leaves, he doesn't come back anymore, Philip decides to go to New Orleans to search for his uncle, and also count as his first voyage.
The third reason that I like this book Voyage of Midnight is there are always unexpected thing happening. Philip never thought that his uncle was a slave trader and he goes with his uncle to Africa. Philip has his own slave who's name is Pea Soup. Philip teaches Pea Soup English, but Pea Soup never speaks, so Philip thinks maybe is becaose Pea Soup doesn't understand. "Pea Soup hates me. Pea Soup wants me dead. Pea Soup spaek English." Philip never thought that ine day Pea Soup use English to tell him that he hates him. And once I read this part, it also surprised me.
I am very enjoying to read this book, if you want to know more about Philip and his future life, you better try it.
October 10, 2011
amazing book! My 5th grade teacher read this book to my class and i and i loved it! The morals, the motives, and the friendship really taught me alot. I'd have to say that this is the first read-out loud book that had actually grasped my attention. Thanks to this book a found that curiosity in me that wanted to know what the characters in books were like, and i remember that with Philip i would hate him at times for being so cruel, and i cheered him on when he realized his mistakes..
This book really taught me that its wrong to forget where you came from. Philip having been in such poverty behaved in such a cruel way towards his slave, pea soup, who was going through the same thing Philip went through of being alone with no family. Although i can't remember the ending, this book comes to mind when thinking about stories with great teachings and adventures
This book really taught me that its wrong to forget where you came from. Philip having been in such poverty behaved in such a cruel way towards his slave, pea soup, who was going through the same thing Philip went through of being alone with no family. Although i can't remember the ending, this book comes to mind when thinking about stories with great teachings and adventures
February 21, 2009
A boy goes to New Orleans to find his only living relative, his uncle. His uncle is an illegal slave trader and the boy decides to go on the voyage.
October 20, 2011
reminds me of the slave dancer
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews