Check out the book review of Caught by the Sea, the teen novel written by Gary Paulsen, about his first ever sailing experiences on the Pacific Ocean!
Author: Gary Paulsen
Caught by the Sea is the real-life tale about the author's first experiences sailing on the Pacific Ocean. Fresh out of the army in 1962, Gary Paulsen had no where to be and no plans for the future. But he had a feeling that if he didn't see the ocean soon, "he was going to die."
So he drove straight to California and spent a couple of days just camping on the beach and taking in the beautiful scenery. It was then that he decided he had to have a boat and be out on the open water. Caught by the Sea follows Gary through his harrowing first sailing experience, where his boat almost capsized and his sleeping bag was filled with sea water, coffee grounds and oatmeal! This book will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, hoping desperately that Gary makes it out alive... (even though in the back of your mind you know he does survive because he wrote the book!)
The one downside to Caught by the Sea is that there are a ton of technical boating terms. Some of the terms have really great explanations in brackets but there are also a ton of terms that the author assumes you'll know. Which, unless you're a sailing expert, you won't. This makes it a bit painful to read but the amazing descriptions of the ocean and ocean life more than make up for it.
If you don't mind sifting through a bit of technical mumbo-jumbo, then you should definitely head out to get Caught by the Sea. I was hooked within the very first sentence and I'm sure you will be too.
Caught by the Sea Rating:
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