Hell and High Water

Literary Merit: Very good
Characterization: Very good
Recommended
Grades:9-12

For as long as he can remember fifteen year old Caleb has been traveling southern England with his father helping him entertain people with Punch and Judy shows in order to make a living. This life comes to an abrupt halt when Caleb’s father is falsely accused of theft and sentenced to be transported to the American colonies. Before they are separated, Caleb’s father tells him how to find his Aunt Anne who will help him. With no other options, Caleb follows his father’s directions and eventually finds his aunt who is living in Fishpool, a seafaring town on the coast. Anne’s husband is a sailor who is out at sea when Caleb arrives. She and her step daughter show more Letty earn money by taking on sewing projects. The people of Fishpool are immediately suspicious of Caleb because he is biracial, but his aunt welcomes him into her home. Caleb is beginning to settle into his new life when he makes a shocking discovery that makes him question what really happened to his father.

Hell and High Water is an exciting mix of historical fiction, mystery and adventure. Caleb and Letty are both fully fleshed out characters whose struggles will be relatable to teen readers. Both have lost parents and been forced to take on responsibilities before they are completely ready. In a time when the roles of men and women were very clearly defined, Letty’s skills as a sailor and Caleb’s talent with a needle and thread are not socially acceptable. Though the two don’t like or trust each other in the beginning, they eventually find common ground in solving the mystery of what happened to Caleb’s father and how the ship that Letty’s father was working on may have been involved. The big bad in the novel is the wealthy landowner Sir Robert Fairbrother who basically owns the entire town and many of the ships that go in and out of its port. His involvement in the fates of both Caleb and Letty’s fathers is undeniable, but can they find the information they need to prove it? Though the book is set in 1752, themes of exploitation by the rich, corruption, racism, and an unethical criminal justice system will not be unfamiliar to contemporary readers. This is a worthy addition to teen collections but may require hand selling due to the historical setting. show less

I couldn't put this book down. 15-year-old Caleb, who is of mixed race, suddenly finds himself caught up in mystery, murder, and corruption when his father is unjustly accused of theft and subsequently washes up dead on the shore of a small fishing village where he instructs his son to go to and seek out his aunt. Together with his step cousin, Letty, Caleb embarks on a dangerous quest to solve the mystery behind his father's death and the role played by the area's affluent and influential landlord.

This historical fiction novel for young adults set in 1752 is surprisingly gripping; I got caught up immediately in the mysteries surrounding 15-year-old Caleb Chappell.

Caleb is mixed-race, and frequently misidentified as a slave while he accompanies his white father Joseph around the English countryside putting on Punch and Judy puppet shows. But as the book begins, his father is falsely accused of a crime and taken away, condemned to transportation to the colonies. Before they are separated, his father tells Caleb how to find his aunt, about whose existence he had been unaware.

Caleb finally locates Anne Avery, who faints dead away when she sees him; why? Just one more of the unexplained puzzles you will encounter in this appealing show more story. Caleb also gets to know Anne’s stepdaughter Letty, who eventually joins forces with Caleb in trying to figure out what is going on.

Racism prevents Caleb from finding work to help out Anne and her little family (she also has a baby named Dorcas) but he is able to assist Anne in mending clothes on contract. (Letty is stronger than Caleb and so the traditional gender roles get reversed with these two.) Meanwhile, Caleb finds a dead body, runs up against baffling barriers to finding out what happened to his father, and learns first-hand about the cruel injustices of not only race but class. The odds are so stacked against them, you will be hanging on your seat to see if they come out this tale with any success, or even survive at all, as Caleb and Letty face an accusation of murder.

Evaluation: There are many twists in this riveting story about the corruption of power and money, and the impotence of those without them. The pacing is excellent, and Caleb and Letty are strong characters, using their wits and courage to fight a system against seemingly insuperable odds. show less

HELL AND HIGH WATER is a YA historical fiction about justice and integrity. Fifteen-year-old Caleb cannot believe how quickly his world shatters when is father is wrongfully convicted of stealing and sentenced to be transported to America. Caleb is further shocked when he discovers a corpse wearing his father’s signet ring. Can it possibly be his beloved father? As Caleb tries to unravel the puzzle, he learns important lessons about loyalty, secrets, and power.

I enjoyed this novel, although I’m typically wary of historical fiction. There’s enough detail to make mid-eighteenth-century England feel real for readers, but the author has pulled back from language and conventions that might keep readers out. The mystery surrounding show more Caleb’s father provides a strong narrative drive, and Caleb himself is an appealing, identifiable protagonist. As a city dweller, Caleb encounters rural England as a strange, hostile place, a narrative device that allows readers to meet the setting as Caleb does. This device is very effective. Caleb also encounters substantial racism, and the threat of slavery constantly hangs over his head, even though he is the free son of a noble. Several themes connect Caleb’s Enlightenment setting to today, and teens are likely to have numerous questions and strong opinions about the plot and its resolution.

Engaging and compelling, HELL AND HIGH WATER is a strong novel for introducing teens to historical fiction or to prepare them for more substantial historical titles. It would also make an excellent extension reading for social studies units on early modern England, poverty, or racism. show less

For as long as he can remember, it's been just Caleb and his Pa. The two of them travel through southern England performing Punch and Judy puppet shows. Everything changes when Caleb's Pa is convicted of a crime he didn't commit and transported to the American colonies. Pa tells Caleb to find his aunt, Pa's sister, and to stay with her until he returns. Caleb's new life won't be easy. His aunt lives in a fishing village, and Caleb has no experience of coastal life. And Caleb is learning just how much his father has shielded him from the cruelty of strangers, for Caleb is of mixed race. Caleb's discovery of a body on the shore one morning will lead him on a quest to unravel a conspiracy that endangers his own life and the lives of the show more new family he's grown to love.

This coming-of-age YA novel has cross-generational appeal for most fans of historical literature. While the secrets that drive the plot probably won't come as a surprise to seasoned readers, it still has the potential to transport readers to another time and place for a few hours of entertaining adventure.

This review is based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. show less

Caleb is put in a difficult situation when his father is falsely accused of theft and imprisoned and then sent to the colonies. All Caleb has left is his father's Punch and Judy show and vague directions to find the aunt he never knew he had and ask to be taken in. Caleb's arrival in the small fishing village where his aunt lives is uncomfortable, considering Caleb's complexion is much darker than his aunt's (and his father's). In this day and age, a half-black child is quite a scandal. Caleb's existence is further complicated when he finds a body washed up on shore and insists the corpse is his father's, but he is not believed. In trying to prove this and clear his father's name, he runs afoul of some very important and powerful show more people.

Landman's characters and settings are vivid, dynamic and well-researched. Caleb's plight is heartfelt and suspenseful. The themes are important, but not heavy-handed. Young readers should enjoy this, although it may be a little simplistic to the adult reader. show less

Tanya Landman's publisher notes that author "explores the lives of history’s dispossessed and disenfranchised." Not only is this true, but her depiction of 1750s England also has a message and a relevancy to our own era. When we read of something momentous in a history book, it does not have the same urgency or immediacy that it can have in the a work of historical fiction. If you read in a history book of the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, it would have little meaning to you if you had not had a similar experience. However, consider this scenario from Hell and High Water,

"The village went to sleep on the evening of Wednesday, September 2nd, and woke on the morning of Thursday the 14th, yet this was no enchanted show more sleep or supernatural occurrence. A year earlier an Act of Parliament had decreed that England's calendar must be synchronized with those of other nations. In order to do so, eleven full days must be struck from the year. Drinking coffee in Porlock's, Pa had explained the matter of the Gregorian and Julian calendars in great detail, but Caleb had paid little attention. It involved politicians. Foreign nations. Who cared about numbering the days? It could make no difference to him and Pa.

He had given it no further thought at all until Letty returned from Tawpuddle with a rumor that William Benson would be collecting rent for the whole month of September as usual. No concession was to made for the changing calendar. Every tenant had lost eleven days of work and consequently eleven days of pay, but Sir Robert would not lose eleven days of rent.
The news made Anne dizzy with panic. "How can we manage? We will be turned out!"
"It can't be true!" Caleb scoffed. "No man could be so unfair.""
...
" "Word of advice, boy . . ." The steward leaned toward him until his face was an inch from Caleb's. Raising his voice so that the men who were unloading the boat could hear, Benson said, "If you want to keep a roof over that miserable hide of yours, you keep your head down and your mouth shut. And you pay your rent when it's due, the same as everyone else.""

The fact that Caleb is a person of color in 1750s England only makes his situation more difficult. His father is accused and convicted of a crime he did not commit, and Caleb is left to fend for himself in a world where birthright equals power and power equals money. Hell and High Water is a work of historical fiction, but it is also a murder mystery, and a story of race, class and privilege. Sadly, it has great relevance in our modern age.

Hell and High Water will be on a shelf near you in June, 2017.

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