The Coral Island (Wordsworth Children's Classics)

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So I saw,” I replied; “and I observed that you very nearly caught that fish by the tail. It would have done capitally for breakfast, if you had.” a b c d McCulloch, Fiona (2000), " 'The Broken Telescope': Misrepresentation in The Coral Island", Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 25 (3): 137–145, doi: 10.1353/chq.0.1401, S2CID 143981168

Now,” said Peterkin gravely, “that brute is a heartless monster; I’ll have nothing more to do with it.” Chapter One. Beginning—My early life and character—I thirst for adventure in foreign lands, and go to sea.

Assuma, Daniel J. (1953), "A List of Simplified Classics", College English, 42 (2): 94–96, doi: 10.2307/808695, JSTOR 808695 Pooh! is that all?” exclaimed Peterkin, wiping the perspiration off his forehead. “Why, I thought it was all the wild men and beasts in the South Sea Islands, galloping on in one grand charge to sweep us off the face of the earth, instead of a mere stone tumbling down the mountain-side!” Nay, not quite,” said Peterkin, who had been gravely attentive to this off-hand advice—“not quite. You must first make three little men to dive in it before it can be said to be perfect; and that would be rather difficult, I fear, for two of them would require to be philosophers. But hallo! what’s this?—I say, Ralph, look here! There’s one o’ your crabs up to something uncommon. It’s performing the most remarkable operation for a crab I ever saw—taking off its coat, I do believe, before going to bed!”

Ralph Rover is a young man who has the sea in his blood, so naturally, and with his parent’s permission, he joins a trading crew sailing for Oceania. His mother makes him promise two things: to read the Bible every day and to pray to God every day. These he gladly promises. Humph! maybe you’re right,” answered Peterkin; “but I would not give tuppence for a man of books if he had nothing else in him.”Much better; but we have no ropes to bind it together with. Perhaps we may find something hereafter that will do as well, but in the meantime let us try the tree.” Oh dear!” he sighed; “I would not care a button for the cooking of our victuals—perhaps they don’t need it—but it’s so dismal to eat one’s supper in the dark, and we have had such a capital day that it’s a pity to finish off in this glum style. Oh, I have it!” he cried, starting up: “the spy-glass—the big glass at the end is a burning-glass!” At his very best Ballantyne manages to meld together progressivist scientific rationalism, the core civil decencies of Christianity and an exceptional ability for narrative pacing that makes books like this a joy to read, and not just a historic curio. Hidden away in the depths of Ralph Rover's reminisces there are profound and beautiful passages such as this from the closing chapter of the novel:- The three boys sail to the island of Mango, where a missionary has converted some of the population to Christianity. There they once again meet Tararo, whose daughter Avatea wishes to become a Christian against her father's wishes. The boys attempt to take Avatea in a small boat to a nearby island the chief of which has been converted, but en route they are overtaken by one of Tararo's war canoes and taken prisoner. They are released a month later after the arrival of another missionary, and Tararo's conversion to Christianity. The " false gods" [30] of Mango are consigned to the flames, and the boys set sail for home, older and wiser. They return as adults for another adventure in Ballantyne's 1861 novel The Gorilla Hunters, a sequel to The Coral Island. [31] [32] Genre and style [ edit ] He spoke briefly of the history of the book. This book was edited by Espasa and I bought it in a second-hand book store together with "Captain Corcoran" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... (which God willing I will read this year, as it is a novel that liked my friend Krisi Keley very much https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... i do not know if He translated it into English) and "The shooters of rifle" by Thomas Mayne Reid https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... I can be wrong, but these kinds of adventure and survival novels have been promoted by the group of Spanish writers prisoner of Zenda, who promoted by Arturo Pérez Reverte https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...