The Stern Chase: Brotherband Chronicles, Book 9
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Stern Chase is the ninth book in the Brotherband Chronicles, the companion adventure series to John Flanagan's popular Ranger's Apprentice series. Expect the usual battle violence with swords, axes, darts, arrows, and a giant crossbow. Men die and are injured in battle. Most of the detail involves battle strategy, but some includes specific injuries, like how men are impaled by darts and the sharp splinters of broken oars. A shipwrecked man is recovered and then dies of his injuries, and two guards die in a stealth attack and are found the next morning. Five men die in a bear attack, with minor details of giant claws and bodies thrown around. Since the Brotherband is dealing with pirates again in this installment, whole towns are found after they have been looted, their moored ships damaged or burned. Expect a lot of drinking (ale and wine) at two large parties in the village. Hal and his young adult crew still favor coffee, however. One of those parties is an engagement party for two members of the crew, so there's a splash of romance here. Lydia's engagement doesn't change how she's treated. She's still a valued part of the Brotherband. The positive attributes of Brotherband crew members are always talked about at length. They work together seamlessly and they are highly skilled and disciplined. Hal, as their young leader, is always coming up with a clever plan to get them out of a bind. In The Stern Chase, he has some doubt about his decisions, but follows through and continues to lead despite his doubts.
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What's the Story?
In THE STERN CHASE: BROTHERBAND CHRONICLES, BOOK 9, everyone in Hallasholm is invited to the engagement party for two of the Brotherband: Ingvar and Lydia. The townspeople enjoy meat on spits and plenty of ale, and Jesper recites his usual saga with cringe-worthy rhymes, this time with a romantic bent. After everyone goes home to sleep off the revelry, that's when the pirates strike, killing the two guards on duty, smashing all the wolfships at port, and stealing Erak the Objeral's prize wolfship, Wolfwind. Erak is the first one up the next morning and the one to sound the alarm. The whole town is in shock. Who targeted the Scandians? Why? How will they get Wolfwind back? Lucky for Hal, his Brotherband, and all of Hallasholm, the fully rebuilt Heron was in the shipyard for minor repairs and not discovered by the pirates. Now it's up to the Herons to chase down Wolfwind. It's not long in their journey when they come upon a shipwreck with two injured men afraid to be rescued. They were attacked by Scandians, they claim. Scandians are the enemy. And suddenly it's clear: Pirates are posing as Scandians to ruin their reputation with every port along Stormwhite Sea.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of the long-running nautical series will enjoy another adventure with the Heron Brotherband, even if its scope is smaller than many previous outings. There's joy in the predictable here: the same stalwart characters, the same battle skills and strategic smarts on display. There's also joy in small developments for the characters, especially an engagement between Ingvar and Lydia. It's nice to see that Lydia's new status doesn't change how she's treated by the Brotherband. She even gets some surprise heartfelt support from the comical twins Ulf and Wulf. More time with the characters would have been welcome. Like when will it be Stephan's time to shine again, or Jesper's? And who else will find a love interest now that they're the right age for that kind of thing? Edvin can cook and sew -- some Hallasholm girl needs to snap him up right away.
There's little downtime in The Stern Chase for romance, however. As the title implies, it's all about the chase, and the stakes are high. The more damage the rogue wolfship does, the worse the Scandians look. These are some devious pirates, and it takes getting into their heads to figure out how to beat them, especially as outnumbered as the Herons are. As usual, it will take all of Hal's smarts and all the Herons working together to get the job done.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the battle strategy when you're outnumbered, like the Brotherband is in The Stern Chase. How important was it for them to track down the Iberian's base camp? How did deception and baiting play into their plans? How did Hal use the ship's superior maneuverability to help them against the enemy?
What other books can you think of that involve strategical thinking? Hal is the best at it of the Brotherband. What other characters have you read about who excel at it? Strategy is not just for sailors facing pirates. What else is it good for in everyday life?
This is the ninth in the series. What 's your favorite Brotherband book? Why? Who's your favorite character?
Book Details
- Author: John Flanagan
- Genre: Adventure
- Topics: Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, Cats, Dogs, and Mice, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Pirates
- Character Strengths: Perseverance, Teamwork
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: October 25, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 288
- Available on: Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: October 26, 2022
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