From the inside jacket cover: "Blackbirders - the name given to those who by force or guile took young islanders from the Pacific and sold them to work on the Australian plantations. In this exciting story, young Paul Maitland is mistakenly taken prisoner together with his island friend Takua, and undergoes many trials and terrors alongside the other captives aboard the slave ship. This book tells of a little known aspect of nineteenth-century colonial life, and is highly recommended for 9-13 year olds."
National Library of New Zealand Entry:
Title: Kidnapped by blackbirders
Author: Eve Sutton ; illustrated by Fiona Kelly. Date: 1984
Identifier: ISBN 0908606281 (hbk.)
Notes: Novel for 9-13 year olds
Publisher: Wellington, N.Z. : Mallinson Rendel, 1984.
Format: 128 p. : ill. ; 20 cm.
An easy-to-read book that will grip younger readers. Paul Maitland and his father are goods traders around the Pacific Islands off the east coast of Australia. They are on friendly terms with the missionaries and natives that live on the islands. One day, Paul is out canoeing with his friend Takua when they are forced onto a ship that is looking for workers (voluntary or forced) for sugar plantations in Australia. The trade of island workers is called blackbirding and is not unlike forced labour or even slavery in some cases. More information on this topic here.
Unable to escape, they do their best to survive and keep the other Polynesian boys healthy so none of them will be thrown overboard to the sharks. The captain and his first mate are cruel and see their cargo of workers merely as profit and will do anything to get more young workers on the ship. One particular scene is very sad as two young men are captured and their young wives try to swim out to save them, only to be left to drown.
The story ends on a thrilling note with the good guys winning the day. There are some nice surprises in the story and also some great characters. I won't spoil it for you.
The main character Paul is a good example of a boy making the right decisions in very difficult circumstances.
He has a strong sense of what is wrong and right and sticks to his convictions.
He strives to protect the weak.
He stays close to his friends and looks out for them.
He chooses to do the right thing even when it doesn't always suit him.
He is patient under suffering and waits for the right opportunity to act.
Eve Sutton has a way of weaving a subtle Christian message into her stories without preaching and we see it towards the end of the story when Paul thinks about his good friend Takua.
"I stopped thinking about myself. I remembered those wretched Islanders, captives with me on that hell ship - those two weeping young men who'd seen their wives left to drown and their friend murdered - young Siviri with his tearing cough - little Bula. I remembered Takua, and how he'd stayed with them, doing his best to help them when they most need it."
'A very present help in time of trouble...' I heard myself say the words, but where on earth had they sprung up from?
'So you did listen sometimes in Church, did you?' Ned looked surprised and delighted.
The book is aimed at a younger audience. There is a murder, but it is brief and not graphic. The scene where the wives drown is sad and a sensitive reader may find it distressing. The word 'kanaka' is used quite freely in the text. This word is now considered an offensive term.
This is a fast-paced and gripping read and will be interesting if you are studying the Pacific Islands or Australian history between 1850 to 1900.
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