I love Tougias' True Rescue Series, because they're all non-fiction and you never know who will survive and who won't. And I love that he dips into WWII history for this one, in a phenomenal examination of submarine warfare in the Gulf of Mexico. It's not a topic that I've ever seen explored before, and this family's tale is the perfect vehicle for it.
The premise is simple: on May 19, 1942, the Downs family is almost to port in Texas when the freighter carrying bananas they're traveling in is hit by torpedoes from a U-boat.
Ray and Ina and their two kids, 8-year-old Ray Jr. and 11-year-old Betty, are thrust into the Gulf, where they have to brave ship fuel, sun, sharks, lack of food and water and the cold (yes, the Gulf is certainly warmer than the Pacific or Atlantic any day, but it's still not body temperature) to survive long enough to get rescued. And what a rescue! I won't give away the ending. You'll have to read to find out if they make it.
The book gives the Downs' story, why they were on the ship Heredia, and examines the German submarine captains (there were more than one in the Gulf at this time), their orders, their codes of honor, and their tactics.
The book reminded me to look into my own family's WWII naval history -- that of my grandfather. I still have his hat. <3
Hopefully other middle grade readers will be inspired to poke into their own families' WWII backgrounds as well.
Enjoy!
