Trouble is coming for Etienne Gayneau and his friends at home and at sea as the English prepare to invade New Netherland, pirates roam the oceans, and pandemics and storms threaten to turn their worlds upside down.
 
Twelve-year-old Etienne takes to the sea again in September 1663 in a desperate move to earn the money his father needs to repay their debt only to find himself shanghaied onto a pirate ship captained by none other than his old rival, Jacob Janssen van den Burgh. He will soon discover that this voyage will test his character and his faith as he must choose whether to follow the easy path that leads to destruction or the harder road to self-discovery and redemption.
 
Meanwhile, back in the colonies, his friends must traverse their own difficult paths to self-discovery as they struggle to find their places in their own communities. Alsoomse resists following the traditional gender roles and her mother’s expectations as she must make a seemingly impossible choice to discover her rightful place in the tribe. And Abraham, wrestles with his own mixed heritage and fights to prove his worth to his father as he must choose the kind of man he will become.
 
About the Author:
Amanda is the author of the historical action & adventure series A Country for Castoffs, which combines her family history with the larger historical context to educate and entertain a new generation of readers. She has been researching her family genealogy for decades and taught middle and high school history for over a dozen years. She loves the fragile beauty of the Sonoran Desert where she lives most of the year and the vibrant Willamette River each summer. Though her best inspirations reside with the ever-changing Sea of Cortez, where she watched her three children grow up over the years, and now enjoys watching her grandchildren making new discoveries for themselves!