Orphan Jasper Jonathan Pierce and his younger brother Tom live on the streets of London. Tom, though younger, is more clever than his brother and knows just whose pocket to pick, and how to avoid getting caught in the act. Or at least he does most of the time. When Tom and Jasper are caught stealing they are given the choice of going to America with a group of Saints (we know them better as Pilgrims) as indentured servants or rotting in jail. They chose America. Their ship, the Speedwell, is forced to turn back due to leakage and Jasper is separated from his brother. Now he must make the journey across the ocean on a different ship, the Mayflower, alone.

When the ship finally completes the trans-Atlantic trip, Jasper is confronted by a new world that seems more strange than he ever thought it would be. He learns how to live in this strange new place, all the while keeping a journal he hopes to give to his younger brother should they ever meet again.  

As always Ann Rinaldi's writing is wonderful. She evokes a genuine feeling for the past without ever sounding like a tour guide leading tiresome history field trip. The America she writes of is filled with green forest of old growth trees and dangers enough for anyone who enjoys getting a thrill along with their history. She lets us know what it must have been like to be a boy starting a new life all alone and makes us wonder if we would have the courage and determination to survive a sometimes harsh world.  

   -   --- Reviewed by Cassia Van Arsdale