OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tales of Davy Jones" by Carl Gundestrup.]

Tales of Davy Jones - Garrett and the Feathered Serpent is a touching, imaginative fantasy book by Carl Gundestrup.

At thirteen years of age, Garrett Spencer has acquired more knowledge than the average grown man. Born with a bad leg, Garrett has few friends because boys his age shy away from him. And so, his solace has always been in reading. He has had a great many adventures through books and can only imagine the adventures he is yet to have in the future. His family is soon to move to Shiloh's Island - an island rumoured to have been a playground for pirates and mystical creatures. His excitement for the upcoming move is heightened when he stumbles upon the Gypsy Moth logbook. The Gypsy Moth was a ruthless pirate schooner. He finds a map within the logbook's cover. Little does Garrett realize that this exciting find has just put him on a deadly mercenary's radar.

Anyone with a taste for adventure and fantasy will enjoy this book. However, I think preteens will gain the most from reading this book. They could learn a lot from Garrett's love of reading, his perseverance, and determination. I loved his refusal to let his disability impede his zest for life. He uses the knowledge he has gained through years of reading to find ways around his disability and achieves momentous accomplishments, all for the good of others. In fact, we could all learn a thing or two from Garrett's unwavering spirit!

I love books with impressive, awe-inspiring villains, and Tales of Davy Jones is one such book. The mercenary, known only as “The Black Ghost” shows so much prowess and mastery in his dark operations that it sent chills upon my spine. He believes in careful planning and precision when carrying out a job. The way he corners and attacks his prey is nothing short of brilliant (if such a word can be used to describe evil). He even uses his appearance and poor hygiene to his advantage, purposefully letting fragments of food rot between his crooked teeth. He then uses this to repulse and scare his victims witless. And that, my friends, is just one of his countless tactics. I assure you, if you choose to read this book, you will be impressed by him.

The only thing I found a bit annoying was the amount of sentimentality in the book. The characters swell up with tears a number of times. Yes, it did fit in with the events they encountered, but I found it to be too mushy for my liking. Aside from this, I enjoyed this fantasy book immensely. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. It had very few errors and was a pleasure to read.

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Tales of Davy Jones
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This sounds exceedingly fascinating, enthralling and adventurous. I would personally like to read this book. Thanks for the review.

This sounds like a charming, enthralling book with a great plot, an inspiring main character, and a truly unsettling villain. Even though as you say the book seems to be geared towards preteens in particular, I think I would enjoy reading it myself! Thanks for the review!

I love adventure stories with such a dynamic-sounding set of characters! Thanks for your review, you were very informative about the ins-and-outs of it.

This sounds like a lovely adventure with a well-rounded and fun protagonist. I'm curious how he gets out of the trouble he finds himself in after finding the logbook. Thanks so much for the review.

I love it that Garrett, born with a disability, does not let it hold him back and, in fact, uses the knowledge that he has gained in his books to gain accomplishments. That should be a lesson for everyone. Thank you for a wonderful review!

Sounds like a really great adventurous book for young readers. I would like to give it a try even in spite of all the tears mentioned above Thank you so much for an excellent review!

I really enjoy adventure stories and this one sounds really interesting and exciting. Great review.

I love how the author highlights Garret's reading. He sounds like an amazing main character. This sounds like an interesting book. I think I could get past the swelling up with tears! Thanks.

I really enjoy reading fiction books with kids as protagonists and this is a hell of a novel. Anyone who loves adventures will love this book. I love it but sorry to say Harry Potter still tops my list..

This sounds like a book my twelve year old twin boys would like. I'm not sure about crying either. This book to me is geared toward boys yet preteen boys aren't much into sentimentality. I think boys would love The Black Ghost character.

Tales of Davy Jones seems like an interesting read. Garrett Spencer's character is unique as well. Only few books nowadays delve into the disability side. Thank you for such insightful review.

Adventure stories are kind of my safety net, so already I think I can relate to the main character. And actually crafty villains can be hard to come by and are definitely welcome to dice up a story. This sounds like a good one. Thank you for the great review!

Gypsy Moth log book, never heard of it. And a mushy story that has anything do with pirates, sounds weird.
Good review but I will pass.

A follower in R.L. Stevenson's steps, it would seem, the book is a rich treasure trove of good old-fashioned delight. Your appreciation of such a wonderful text does you proud!