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The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II
The Kingdom on the Waves
By Anderson, M. T.
Publishers Summary:
- ISBN
- 978-0-76362-950-2
- Publisher
- Candlewick
REVIEWS
School Library Journal
Reviewed on September 1, 2008
Gr 9-Up Octavian, the 16-year-old slave whose story began in "The Pox Party" (Candlewick, 2006), continues his search for identity in this brilliant, affecting, and philosophical sequel. Octavian and his tutor escape from Octavian's master to relative safety in Boston where Octavian finds work as a violinist in a military band. After hearing of Lord Dunmore's promise of freedom for slaves, he enlists in the Royal Ethiopian Regiment. Following a loss at Norfolk, they then take up quarters aboard British ships, barely fending off starvation and smallpox. Octavian...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Magazine
Reviewed on September 1, 2008
In eighteen sentences, displayed with the aesthetics of a broadside, Anderson sums up the action of the first volume of Octavian Nothing (rev. 9/06), quickly moving readers into the events of the second, in which Octavian and his tutor, Dr. Trefusis, escape from the College of Lucidity. Their flight takes them through the mudflats, across a dismal, featureless plain, and through the surrounding waters to Boston. This heroic journey begins to define the epic quality of the novel, one that is strengthened by Octavian's observations, thoughts heightened by his philosophical training but impaired by his limited personal experiences. Their journey is as surreal as it is heroic: almost drowned by the incom...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Guide
Starred Review on January 1, 2008
Octavian and Dr. Trefusis escape the College of Lucidity. Their flight takes them to Boston then Virginia, where Octavian enlists in Lord Dunm...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Junior Library Guild
Reviewed on December 1, 2008
This superb sequel to the National Book Award winner has many praiseworthy elements, but its ability to place readers in the scene is especially remarkable. One can practically smell the fetid air on the boat as Octavian and Pro Bono sit among their pox-ridden companions. Feelings of terror and confusion are palpable when Octavian and his regiment retreat from battle: “Bullets were flung among us—I saw men collapse before me—or grab a limb and topple—rise up—and stagger. I passed dead upon the bridge—men ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
