Name: Stowaway
ISBN: 9781459741928

Pam Withers

Owen sneaks aboard a strange yacht for an adventure, only to find himself in the middle of a people-smuggling operation. Can he commandeer the boat and save himself and the others onboard?

Stowaway

Owen’s plan to sail away on an adventure puts him on a collision course with some very dangerous people. When Owen’s parents leave him on his own for a week, the sixteen-year-old gets bored and hatches a crazy idea: sneak onto the yacht that’s visiting the sleepy Pacific Coast island where he lives and stow away on an adventure! Once on board the vessel, Owen quickly finds out this is anything but innocent fun. The ship is packed with teenagers from Central America, and it looks like Owen has stumbled into a people-smuggling operation. Complications pile up and as things head from bad to worse, a haunting incident from Owen’s past tightens its grip on him. There’s only one way to break free and make his way home. Owen and the first mate, Arturo — a former street kid — must work together to commandeer the boat and win the trust of those on board. But who’s friend and who’s foe in the shifting tides?

Lynn Braden

Owen is looking forward to the week when his parents go away to a convention of marina owners. He plans to find something exciting to do on this island where there are no young people. He and his parents moved here after an incident with his brother, which left his parents fearing that Owen would eventually fall prey to the same negative influences. When a storm comes and strands a boat at the marina for the night, Owen sees an opportunity to make friends with the yacht's first mate, Arturo and stowaway before they leave. Little does he know that Arturo is less than a first mate and more like a slave to the captain who is taking boys escaping from Columbia to Canada for a price. Once Owen discovers them, he becomes a liability to the captain, leading to the possibility that he might not make it back home.
Stowaway is an adventure story with a lesson about taking life for granted. The story alternates perspective from Owen to Arturo. Owen seems ridiculously naive to Arturo's worldliness which works well to contrast the two main characters and challenges the reader to root for at least one of them. A fairly simple and predictable story makes this a short, easy read with little depth or profound ideas.

Stowaway

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