“Carry On, Mr. Bowditch” by Jean Lee Latham

Hi, it’s me, Harris the Hedgehog, and I am SO excited, because this book won the Newbery Medal! Do you see that shiny gold seal on the cover? That’s one of the biggest prizes a children’s book can ever win!

It’s the true story of Nat Bowditch, a boy from Salem, Massachusetts, more than two hundred years ago. Nat LOVED numbers. But when he was only twelve, his family was so poor that he had to go to work, bound to a ship’s store for nine long years, and he couldn’t go to school anymore. Did Nat give up? No way! He taught himself math, astronomy and even Latin, all on his own. Then he sailed the oceans and found mistakes in the sailors’ navigation books. So he wrote a better one, and ships still use it today!

If you’re 9 to 12 and you like adventure and never giving up, you’ll love Nat. This paperback is in acceptable condition, and I’m saving it for you at Dead Tree Dreams!