“You’re on Her Majesty’s Ship, Kestrel, as fine a Barque as ever sailed.” Jack’s face still held its frozen disbelief. “Don’t mind the noise of the sheets. They always talk to one another up here.”

“Sheets?” mumbled Jack.

“The sails, cully. The sails be sheets. Look up yonder. The gallant mast is a treat for the eyes way up there, is it not?”

Who is this mysterious boy Jack saw at the sand spit the day he nearly drowned? Why is Jack up the main mast on a sailing ship instead of on his friend’s trawler? Jack, the lighthouse keeper’s son at Neptune’s Fingers, during the Great Depression, is about to find out as he is taken out of his time to experience the last days of The Kestrel, the ship whose spine is impaled on the rocks near his home. He learns more than he bargains for on board--his own family’s history is interwoven with the lives of some of its sailors in a way that changes Jack forever.

About the Author

Lyn Aldred has been a Primary School Teacher for many years. She is a pianist, composer and conductor, having taught piano and singing, and directed many Musical Productions. She has also taught Ballet for over 20 years. She began her education in Sydney, Australia and attained a Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood, from Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW. An interest in writing and literature for children grew from her love of reading to her students. These days, writing takes up the majority of her time. She lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.