Jess Carter and the Rodneys
By Geoffrey Lewis
Paperback £6.99;Â ISBN 978-1-9095551-00-8; March 2013; SGM Publishing
Digital
Jess Carter and the Oil Boat> Jess Carter and the Bolinder>Jess Carter and the Rodneys
Three years in, and Jess Carter is proving as popular as Michael Baker! With sales of the first two books now rivalling the ongoing success of Geoffrey Lewis’ trilogy (now in four volumes – see the pages on this site!), he has followed up now with a third story of the mixed-race boy and his new family on the Shropshire Union Canal.
Once again, this third book in Geoffrey Lewis’ developing Jess Carter series of historical canal stories for younger readers follows immediately after the conclusion of the last book, Jess Carter and the Bolinder. Back on their home ground, Jess and Luke Kain have rejoined Luke’s mother and sisters; now they set off once more northwards to Ellesmere Port and the Manchester Ship Canal to reload with fuel oil from the Stanlow refinery. Delays on the way and a broken-down tug see them waiting at ‘The Port’ over a weekend, where they come into dramatic contact with an undesirable family of boaters – the ‘Rodneys’ of the title. And they are to cause even more mayhem on the return journey…
Jess Carter and the Rodneys sees us once more travelling the Shropshire Union Canal with Annie Kain and her family, now including her ‘adopted’ mixed-race lad. Working a pair of boats now in place of their old horse-drawn vessel leads to a sharp learning curve for everyone, and as always with Mr Lewis’ canal stories, every location and much of the detail is true to life, an accurate picture of the working canal of pre-war days – we even get to explore parts of the old town of Ellesmere Port as it was in 1939. Descriptions of working a traditional pair of narrowboats are drawn from the author’s personal experience, and those who know this part of the English canal system will appreciate his knowledge of ‘the road’. Familiar faces from the previous books and new characters blend together once again – the subtlety of their interactions and the historical authenticity will appeal to older readers, while the ongoing thread of excitement and adventure will keep the youngsters for whom the book is intended well and truly on the hook! Jess Carter and the Rodneys is once again set to appeal to kids of all ages from 10 to around 100.
Will there be a fourth Jess Carter story? With the Swan and the Tove about to depart on another northward trip, it seems like a possibility…
Jess Carter and the Oil Boat>Jess Carter and the Bolinder>Jess Carter and the Rodneys