You Wouldn't Want to Sail on a 19Th-Century Whaling Ship cover

You Wouldn't Want to Sail on a 19Th-Century Whaling Ship

by Peter Cook

The year is 1819. You are a 14-year-old boy named Thomas Nickerson, living in Nantucket. It is one of the most important centres of the American whaling industry. You want to fulfil your boyhood dream of becoming a whaler by joining your friends aboard the whaling ship Essex. The Essex is bound for the Pacific Ocean, and a place in history. But you have no idea of the horrors – whale attacks, shipwreck, cannibalism – that lie ahead… This title in the best-selling children’s history series, You Wouldn't Want To…, features full-colour illustrations which combine humour and accurate technical detail and a narrative approach placing readers at the centre of the history, encouraging them to become emotionally-involved with the characters and aiding their understanding of what life would have been like on a 19th-century whaling ship. Informative captions, a complete glossary and an index make this title an ideal introduction to the conventions of information books for young readers. It is an ideal text for Key Stage 2 shared and guided reading and helps achieve the goals of the Scottish Standard Curriculum 5-14.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?