Rating: 
Summary: Castaways!
Review: ISBN#0-399-23601-5
PRICE $$$
PAGES-327
PUBLISHER- PHILOMEL BOOKS
PUBLISHING DATE-2001
BOOK REVIEW
THE CASTAWAY OF THE FLYING DUTCHMANThe Castaway of the Flying Dutchman, a mystery adventure by Brian Jacques is a story in three parts.
The first part, The Ship, takes place on board the boat, The Flying Dutchman. Neb, a mute boy, Den, a dog and Captain Vanderdecken are the main characters in this part. The crew of the ship tries to round Cape Horn at the bottom of South American. Often a place where there are great storms, the crew encounters a large storm, where everyone is thrown overboard. It is only Neb and Ben who are saved. An angel saves them and gives them special 'gifts' such as the gift of speech and eternal life. The angel also says that' wherever you go you must help the people in need'.
In Part 2, called The Shepherd, Neb and Den having been washed up on the beach are brought back to health by a shepherd, named Luis. After three years living with him, another storm comes and while trying to herd the sheep, Luis falls from a cliff and is killed. Neb has a vision from their special angel. Hearing a bell Neb is told he must leave at this time.
In Part 3, The Village, the year is 1896 in England. Neb and Den have changed their names to Ben and Neb. They arrive in a small village by train, having once again been directed by their angel. There they find a lady being tormented by a gang called the Grange Gang. Ben taking pity on the old lady tells Neb to attack them, which drives the gang away. There he finds that businessmen are going to knock down the village, and replace it with a cement factory. Since Ben is always supposed to 'do good' he goes out to find the lost deed to the town to protect its future. To find out whether Ben finds the lost deed and saves the village you'll have to read the book. I would suggest this book to both genders and for people who enjoy a good mystery and adventure. Some of the reading in this book is kind of hard so I would suggest this to people in 5th-9th grades.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, written by Brian Jacques author of Redwall, is pretty good. A boy and his dog are saved buy a guardian angel after almost dying after being onboard the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship later said to haunt the sea. Their mission is to travel through time helping people and then moving on. The story is pretty good, but the title is a bit misleading. Most of the story revolves around Ned and Ben helping an old woman prove that she owns the land in a village about to be destroyed. The story is cleverly written, and very descriptive. I think that it will be enjoyed by Redwall fans, as well as fans just trying out Brian for the first time. Teens and adults would enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Castaways of the Flying
Review: This book is about a boy named Ned and a dog he met on aboard the Flying Dutchman, a ship captained by the ambitious Phillip Vanderdecken and his crew of evil men. While on the journey the ship has to go around Cape Horn. At first attempt he and his crew are forced to turn back because of the overly harsh conditions. Determined to make it across the Cape Horn is a on the captains mind. Yet, he was also angry at some of his crew because he has heard the idea that some aboard his ship is going to try and take over. So that would make two things on his mind. The real reason why Vanderdecken is making this daring journey is because he had made a deal with a Chinese gem dealer that if he comes back with all the emeraldslocated in Valparaiso then he will give Vanderecken three of these precious stones. Vanderdecken deals with the problem by hanging the man of the idea by himself! Next Vanderdecken tries to go across the Cape Horn again. Unfortunately this time no one survived except Ned and his dog, which he named Denmark. They are saved by an angel that bless' them with not only the ability to live forever, but also the ability to read each others minds! On top of that, Ned finally gets to have a voice another gift from the angel. For the rest of his is lives, he helps the people who need help.
I think that this book is really good. I couldn't put it down. I especially liked how Neb and Denmark could talk to each other. I have a dog and we're best pals, but to be able to tell him something and have a response would be so cool. The angel said this blessing and a it went like this: "You are saved by the innocence of your heart and granted your lives anew, the gift of heavens mercy bestowed faith in you! I am sent to bless you both which you both need: boundless youth, understanding, and speech to succeed."
Another reason I liked the book was because there are teachings that are important when it comes to bullying. There is a boy in the story that Ned and Denmark help that has this bully. The boys name is Alex, and he has some bully problems. Lucky Neb is there to help him to control his problems. Instead of beating the bully back there are other ways. Neb says things like, "Courage shows itself in different ways-chin up pal, and you'll see..."
My favorite part in the story was when Ned and Denmark help the people. It makes me think that if someone decides to be your friend and helps you through your problems is sort of like an angel too. There aren't many people in the world like that, but it makes me think that it would be nice if people were as nice as the characters in the book. Ned and Denmark really help the people in the story and they are grateful. When they help people, it gives the person a good feeling that there is someone who cares. I can see the feelings through the words, which makes it a really good book.
Rating:
Summary: A good, but not GREAT read.
Review: Brian Jacques, best known for his popular Redwall fantasy-adventure series, launches a new series in his new novel, "Castaways of the Flying Dutchman." With Castaways, Jacques leaves his world of Medieval mice and roguish rats, for a story of a forever-young boy "condemned" to roam the world for eternity, doing good deeds and helping people in need help themselves. Let me start by saying that I enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it to readers 9 and up. However, chances are Redwall fans will be initially disappointed in this tale. The first fifty pages - the story of how this boy and his dog came to wander the Earth - is a ripping sea yarn worthy of Robert Louis Stevenson. Set in 1620, it has a tyrannical sea captain and a mutinous crew. After the murderous captain curses God in the midst of an epic battle against nature, an avenging angel descends to condemn The Flying Dutchman and its crew to an eternity upon the seas. When the boy, Ben, and his dog are washed overboard, the angel grants the innocent lad a reprieve of sorts: an eternal quest to do good. Here again, the author must battle the expectations of even first time readers. I was looking forward to an epic tale of Ben's journey through the ages. Instead, Jacques takes us to the small English village of Chapelvale in 1896. The bulk of the book essays a single task given to the boy. In this thin plot, Ben must help a widow find the deed to her lands and save the village from developers. But, like Lois Lowry's "Gathering Blue," Castaways is made a very enjoyable read by the sheer quality of the writing. Jacques gives us nice, comfortable characters we can instantly like or despise and his easy, good-natured style carries us through a treasure hunt filled with riddles and non-violent confrontations with a local gang, to a predictable, yet satisfying ending. I do hope, however, that in future volumes the author will fulfill the promise of adventure he displayed in the opening sequence of this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Passed with 'flying colors
Review: When I got 'Castaways' from a librarian, I thought- 'Hmmm, interesting.' I didn't have very high expectations after reading his other works outside of the Redwall plot (Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales) which in my opinion were horrible. But I was wrong. This tale about a mute boy and his dog, aboard the Flying Dutchman with cruel hearted crew members and a horrible captain. When the Angel curses the ship and its crew to eternal voyages, this young boy and his dog are passed over because of their innocence. With the boy receiveing the gift of speech and a telepathic connection with his dog, the are sent to help the oppressed people staying young forever.... Most of this book is centered on the boy and his dog helping an old lady to find clues that lead to the deed proving her ownership of the land and stopping the tyrannic developing company. Jaques uses the characteristic riddle-to-find-something-that-saves-everyone ideas that sprinkle the whole Redwall series. Personally, you get along a lot better not trying to solve the riddles- seeing as it takes the genius people in the books a while to finish. A wonderful book, and I think you should buy it- fan of sword bearing rodents or not.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Review: Join Ben and Ned on an eternal adventure. Washed off the deck of the flying dutchman, they are given eternal youth by an angel. Their mission is to spread joy and sympathy wherever they go. I enjoyed reading this book. It is exciting in the beginning, suspenseful in the end, and hunorous the whole time. People who like the Redwall series will like this book too.
Rating:
Summary: Good plot, but...........
Review: If you have read any of Brian Jacques' other books you should have an idea what this particular one will be about. Even though its main characters are people, unlike the majority of his books which are animals, it has the same kind of idea. I was a little disappointed with the book because I expected it to be about the ship, The Flying Dutchman, and it was not after about half way through the book. Instead, it was about solving riddles, making friends, and beating the bad guy, all on land. However, the plot definitely is a good one. A boy and his dog are shipwrecked, and are the only ones who are spared from a curse that will doom the ship and its crew to sail the seas for ever. The boy and his dog then go on and help to save a town from being ruined. This is really a good book, but if you have read any of Brian Jacques' other books, and think that this will be a lot different because it is about people and not animals, think again.
Rating:
Summary: BJ's next series!
Review: I love the Redwall books, and when I saw this on sale for only $2, Icouldn't resist! I started out thinking it wouldn't be so good, but I thought wrong! This book is very similair to BJ's Pearls of Lutra book, but in the real world. It starts in 1620,the episode of the Flying Dutcman, skips to 1623, the episode of Loiue the Sheperd, and then skips way over to 1893, the episode of Chapelvale and exactly 200 years after after the last episode. In the third section, they search for the wills to Chapelvale, owned by a nice old lady named Winnifred Winn who has, up till then, been considered the owner of Chapelvale. But when a big-city business, in the name of "progress", takes some surveys of the land, and finds the town is seated upon a major limestone deposit,giving a deadline one week away from that day.And on the way they find ancient treasures from the Byzantine empire. This is a very good book, I got hooked and one day I read over 200 pages of it! Overall, Bj's made a really good book worthy to be made into a series.
Rating: 
Summary: a boy and his dog
Review: Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques is a tale about a boy and his dog. However, this story is very different than Dick and Spot. This book tells the tale of Neb and Den (who later change their names to Ben and Ned,) a boy and a dog who have many adventures. The story starts out with Neb, a mute boy, running away from home because he has been treated badly. Then the book goes on to describe his adventures with Den on the Flying Dutchman before it was a ghost ship and then how it became a ghost ship. This tale is very different from Jacques' Redwall series. The setting and characters are totally different. This is a fantasy story, but it is a high-sea fantasy not at all like the Redwall series. Castaways of the Flying Dutchman is a book intended more for adults than Redwall although either are suitable for any age group. This book has a quality equal to the Redwall series, so if you have enjoyed Redwall, you should also appreciate this very different novel. This book, although a different pursuit from Jacques' previous novels, is very effective. The plot is interesting and the characters very real and likable. I enjoyed this book. It has been awhile since I have read a sea-tale and this one was well worth my time. I hope that Jacques brings us more novels similar to these. This book is a great read for all people and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Jacques or to anyone who is interested in reading a great sea tale.
Rating:
Summary: Castaways Of The Flying Dutchman
Review: It was all right. I read it because someone in my family received it as a gift and didn't want it (guess whose bookshelf it ended up on). I was mildly interested in it and decided to give it a go. I found the first half of it pretty cool. But in the second half, I found the plot very weak. I was disappointed that the second half has almost nothing to do with the Flying Dutchman. Overall, it wasn't very interesting, but I wouldn't exactly call it a waste of time.
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