Tùy Bút Mẹ Ơi! (Tái Bản 2013) tải về miễn phí cuốn sách

Ali-morad Nassah _31000 — "This afternoon, at last, we weighed anchor. Now there are new sounds to join with the others. The wind clapping the sails, the men singing out in the rigging, the water churned by Endeavour's prow. Fine sounds. Sailing sounds." The first thing I did this year was travel around the globe. With the help, of course, of author Karen Hesse who penned this excellent and educational young adult novel about the expedition of Captain Cook and his crew between 1768-1771. The novel is made up of faithful journal entries written by Nicholas Young. He recorded everything from his successful feat in getting on the ship unnoticed and winning over the crew so they would let him stay on, to his feelings about his sea mates and all the work they were required to do in order to assist Captain Cook on his exploratory journey to map "New Holland" (Australia) and circumnavigate the world. Nick, who apparently liked pork, also included notes about the foods they ate during their trip. At one point, after he had partaken a time or two of things like sharks and turtles, he remarked, "It's a wonder what the stomach will allow the mind to accept." Being based in fact, the author artistically composed personalities for the crew of the Endeavour. I felt pride as Samuel Evans learned to read, I smiled as I watched friendships grow (and rivalries soften). I especially enjoyed knowing the stories behind the names Captain Cook gave to areas such as Cape Farewell and Poverty Bay. Young Nick's Head, an actual place in New Zealand, was named after the main character. Another very important featured character was Dr. Joseph Banks, a naturalist and botanist who was charged with detailing and cataloging the many plants and animals found along their voyage. Dr. Banks took a special liking to young Nick (due to his great work ethic), and asked him to contact him again in the future. Indeed he did, for they traveled by ship again together to Iceland in 1772. I also took note of this particular commentary, which I found rather interesting and analogous to certain current situations: "These natives don't need to work hard for anything, so the things they have don't hold much value to them. Perhaps that explains the natives' thievery. If nothing has much value, why should anyone be upset at its being taken?" Not being familiar with sea and ship terminology, I learned a couple of new words as well: scuttlebutt - a cask on a shipboard with fresh drinking water; and fearnaught - a coat made from thick canvas. The only thing that could have made this book better would have been a more detailed map (but this is my opinion only; the simple map provided probably works fine for the book's intended audience of ages 10-14). Overall, a really nice read.