Thirteen-year-old,
Henry Downs, kidnapped, sold into slavery, and forced to work for the
notorious pirate, Captain Black. Bound for plunder in the Caribbean
aboard the rugged ship The Swan, Henry could never have dreamt of the
fabulous adventures that he would encounter on the high seas. Bitterly
working as the ship’s cabin boy, Henry learned as much of the sail as
possible hoping that it might aid in his escape. One day the ghost of
Mad Dog Jamison, the former captain of the Swan, visited him. Henry
befriended the strange phantom, who named him Scalawag. The friendly
ghost had planned that one day Henry would captain this sleek vessel
manned by a ghostly crew that Black had executed to take the ship the
year before.
Recommended for readers from eight to eighty.