Whale Adventure facts for kids
Whale Adventure is an exciting children's book written by Willard Price. It was published in 1960. This book is part of his famous "Adventure" series. It features two brave brothers, Hal and Roger Hunt.
In this story, Hal and Roger join a whaling ship. This ship feels like it's from the 1800s! It has old-fashioned ways of hunting whales, like using harpoons by hand. The crew also eats tough biscuits called hard tack. They even have a ship's prison called the brig. The book also mentions a very harsh punishment called keelhauling. Price got some ideas for the setting and events from a famous old book called Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.
Contents
The Story of Whale Adventure
Joining the Crew
The adventure begins when a scientist travels on a whaling ship as a passenger. Hal and Roger want to join the journey too. However, the ship's captain does not want any more passengers. The only way for the boys to go is to become part of the ship's crew. So, Hal and Roger sign up to work on the ship.
Roger's Brave Actions
During the voyage, Roger shows great courage. He defends a captured sperm whale from a group of hungry sharks. Later, he also protects the whale from a pack of clever killer whales. This part of the story teaches readers how smart killer whales can be.
Facing a Cruel Captain
The captain of the ship is a very tough and unfair man. He treats his crew badly and punishes them harshly. At one point, Hal has to fight the captain in a hand-to-hand battle. Hal manages to beat the captain.
A terrible event happens when an old sailor is punished by being keelhauled. This is a very old and cruel punishment where a person is dragged under the ship. After this, the crew decides they have had enough. They take control of the ship. They put the captain and his main helper in a cage to stop them from causing more trouble.
The Final Challenge
At the end of their journey, Hal and Roger's ship faces a huge challenge. A powerful sperm whale attacks the ship and destroys it. Luckily, a modern whaler ship comes to their rescue. This modern ship even has a helicopter to spot whales from the sky. The boys are saved and their amazing adventure comes to an end.
