The Dark Frigate

by Charles Boardman Hawes

Reviewed by Ryan Tai

Fall 2016

REVIEW:The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes

ISBN# 0-316-35009-5

THE STORY:

Philip Marsham, a 19 year old England boy, decides to flee to the sea after accidentally shooting a gun and destroying Moll Steven’s shop. While running to the sea, he encounters two sailors with alcohol, one named Martin and the other called the Old One. Martin becomes Philip’s companion while traveling to the sea and the Old One left. They reached the City of Bideford, where Martin and Philip go to Mother Taylor’s house.
Mother Taylor states that the Old One left without them and she helps Philip and Martin illegally get on to the Rose of Devon, a frigate heading to Newfoundland. After Philip and Martin get on the Rose of Devon, the captain, Captain Candle, assigns Philip as boatswain. The Rose of Devon went through a large storm after and found a wrecked ship. The crew decided to save the survivors and one of them is the Old One. The Old One and his crew started as kind people but soon showed everyone that there were actually pirates and killed Captain Candle. Philip and Will Canty, a sailor with the same age as Philip, were forced to join the group and the Rose of Devon. Soon, Will Canty escaped and got caught by the pirates, who killed him. After seeing Will die, Philip escapes from the ship and escapes. He and the pirates get caught and got sent to court. Philip now has to protect himself from being hanged.  (241)

MY OPINION

This book is overall interesting. The plot is very unique since it has many changes and it all leads up very well. The author uses a lot of characterization for many characters from Philip Marsham to the Old One using most of the 5 types of characterization. This made the story come to life. The weakness in this book is the vocabulary since most of the book is on a ship in it is sometimes difficult to understand the parts of the ship. Another downside is the language since the language is not everyday language and could be hard to understand. If I could go back in time, I would definitely pick this book because the concept of pirates interested me when I read the back cover. I would recommend this book to late middle school kids to early high school kids. I would rate his book nine out of ten stars and would definitely recommend this book to a friend. (161)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1.Why did Philip run away from London?

1a. He accidentally shot a gun and messed up a shop. (pg.7)

2. Where did Philip stop to rest after running away from London?

2a. He stopped at a scottish man’s house. (pg. 12)

3. Why did the slim sailor try to kill Martin?

3a. The slim sailor was drunk after drinking too much. (pg. 33)

4. When Philip went into the old lady’s house, which ship did he and Martin decide to ride on?

4a. They decided to ride on the Rose of Devon. (pg. 64)

5. What job did Captain Candle first assign to Philip?

5a. Captain Candle assigned him the job of cook. (pg. 69)

Morrow (pg. 5)

Smithy (pg. 15)

Gallantly (pg. 35)

Affably (pg. 39)

Vagabonds (pg. 49)

MIDDLE SECTION

1.Why did Philip Marsham jump into the sea?

1a. He wanted to save Martin, who was drowning. (pg. 90)

2. After the storm, what did the crew find and do?

2a. The crew found a wrecked ship and saved people including the Old One. (pg. 95)

3. What did the Old One and his crew do to the people on the Rose of Devon?

3a. They killed one person and then killed Captain Candle. (pg. 102)

4. What is the name of the ship the Rose of Devon battled?

4a. The ship is named the Porcupine Ketch. (pg. 133)

5. Where did the Rose of Devon land?

5a. The Rose of Devon landed in an island in the Bahamas. (pg. 158)

Capstan (pg. 86)

Abated (pg. 94)

Heathen (pg. 105)

Wry (pg. 123)

Schirrous (pg. 144)

LAST SECTION

1.What is the pirate’s plans?

1a. The plan is to go to the town they landed and tell the villagers that pirates have captured their men. Then they think the villagers will help and assist them. (pg. 174)

2. After running away, who found Philip?

2a. Two natives of the land found him and brought him to their house. (pg. 201)

3.Why did Philip become a prisoner?

3a. He climbed up on a ship and got captured. (pg. 205)

4.Where did Philip Marsham and the pirates go and why?

4a. They went to England and then the High Court of Admiralty because they got captured while the pirates were raiding a ship. (pg. 215)

5.What was the main argument about Philip that kept him alive?

5a. The main argument was that Philip MArsham was forced to join the pirates and had no choice. (pg. 226)

Petition (pg. 173)

Abide (pg. 186)

Decanter (pg. 203)

Indictment (pg. 216)

Atropos (pg. 230)