A young orphaned boy named Joe lived with Gram and Eli in the small Nova Scotia town of Herring Cove. Joe didn’t know who his mother and father were because he was left on Gram’s doorstep. Both Gram and Eli were grouchy and strict, calling him a “useless boy”, and keeping secrets from him. Gram was the midwife and healer, and she had attended all the births at the village, so she must know who his mother was.
“Every night, Joe dreamed of running away and seeing the world. He just hadn’t been brave enough to do it. But today his feet ran away without him telling them to. It’s not like he belonged in Herring Cove. Gram wasn’t his Gram. He just called her that.”
Joe decided to run away. While running away, Joe tripped and fell down the steep embankment beside the road. He injured himself badly, dislocating his shoulder, breaking his arm, and bruising his ribs, along with a big bump on the head, cuts, and bruises. While lying on the ground, he thought he wasn’t running away today. When trying to get up he found out that it was an old, small rowboat that broke his fall.
After a couple of weeks of mending, Joe was out looking for rocks for old man Seth when he found his lost cap and there it was, the old rowboat. Frederick, his best friend Nettie’s father, and Jeb helped to bring the old boat back to Frederick’s house to fix up. Joe wanted the boat so he could be his own boss, make his own living fishing, and earn his own money.
Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune is a fun and gripping adventure that will have you beyond frustrated when things don’t go Joe’s way, and cheering for him when they do. It is a story of a young man’s courage and determination. It shows that one person can make a difference.
Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune by Jacqueline Halsey is set to be published on May 27, 2025. It is a middle-grade historical fiction novel, inspired by the real shipwreck of the British frigate HMS Tribune. The Tribune ran aground on the southern tip of McNab’s Island in the Halifax Harbour in 1797 shortly before a violent storm hit. Joe “Cracker”, a young 13-year-old boy, risked his life and rowed out to save those survivors clinging to the rigging when no one else dared. Joe turned down the offer of a position in the navy and asked for “a pair of corduroy trousers” as his reward.
“Gram made him some new trousers from a pair of Eli’s old overalls, She wasn’t good at sewing, and one leg was longer than the other and he needed to tie a rope around his waist to keep them up…One day he’d have his very own new pair of trousers. They’d be a perfect fit, and he’d be the very first person to slide his feet down the legs and out the ends.”
“I love anything to do with the sea and ships, but I think it was the corduroy pants that inspired me to write this story. With today’s eyes, it was such a strange request. But in a poor fishing village in 1797, where clothes were patched, passed down, and remade, new clothes would have been an unattainable luxury.”— Jacqueline Halsey
Jacqueline Halsey lives with her husband, Ray, and rescue cat, Piper, in a ninety-year-old house overlooking Halifax Harbour. After a long, fun career in the children’s department of Halifax Public Libraries, she now spends her time renovating the old house, writing, hiking, and enjoying the local beaches. In the summer she is an interpretive guide on historic McNabs Island and takes part in the annual beach clean-ups.
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing Ltd. (May 27, 2025)
Paperback 7″ x 5″ | 176 pages
ISBN: 9781774714379
Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages an independent, locally owned bookstore, Dartmouth Book Exchange. Through her charismatic sharing centred around books and community, Sue has created an engaging cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. Sue is an avid reader and her reviews cross over many genres.
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
Will have to put this one on my TBR pile! I love stories of ships and the sea too and was a regular visitor to McNab’s Island when I was a kid 🙂