Magellan's 16th-century circumnavigation of the globe is told through the eyes of a ship's dog in this latest installment of the middle-grade Dog Chronicles.Originally unnamed, just prodded to catch rats on sailing ships, the dog Leo is wary of humans and resolutely a loner. Then he meets Marco, an orphaned Spanish boy who has stowed away on the Trinidad, Magellan's flagship, as Magellan begins his historic voyage to find a westward passage to the Spice Islands (now the Malukas, in modern-day Indonesia). It is Marco and Pigafetta, an Italian scribe who is aboard to chronicle the voyage, who name Leo after the dog saves Marco's life. Remarkably rich in factual details, Hart's accomplished narrative, told in first-person present-tense by Leo, animates the hardships endured—and courage needed—to sail into the literal unknown, threading them throughout Leo's personal journey of learning to trust. Montgomery's spot pencil illustrations enliven the narrative. Of particular note, Magellan's cruelty, arrogance, and thirst for glory are not whitewashed, as Leo describes him ordering the destruction of indigenous villages because they refuse to convert to Christianity or swear allegiance to King Charles of Spain. A lengthy author's note gives the facts behind the story and is vividly interesting in itself as a chronicle of 16th-century European knowledge and shipboard life. Frank history, attention to factual detail, and vivid adventures make this a standout. (bibliography, further reading.) (Historical fiction. 7-12)

In this latest entry in Hart's Dog Chronicles series, stray dog Leo is about to embark on his fourth sea voyage, paying his fare by ridding the ship of rats. This time, the captain general is a Portuguese man named Magellan, whose goal is to find a passage around the New World to the Spice Islands. He brings with him an armada of five ships, of which his, the Trinidad, is the leader. As they set off, Leo finds a stowaway, a boy named Marco who, upon discovery, becomes the page of Antonio Pigafetta, who is recording the journey for posterity. Through Leo's eyes, the reader follows Magellan on his ill-fated final voyage, which includes such hardships as scurvy, doldrums, storms, wrecks, and mutinies. Hart includes plenty of details in Leo's first-person narrative while telling an engrossing and insightful story. Leo stays true to his canine nature throughout but still grows and changes appropriately. An ample appendix, with additional material, sources, and further reading, rounds out the tale.

Leo, a tough ratting dog aboard Magellan's ship Trinidad, tells the harrowing tale of the quest to sail around the world. Details of the filth, hunger, vermin, mutinies, cruelty, and death that plague the expedition create a vivid picture of Magellan's voyage. Human characters include scribe Antonio Pigafetta, whose scrupulously recorded notes remain today. End notes add context. Reading list. Bib., glos.

Magellan's 16th-century circumnavigation of the globe is told through the eyes of a ship's dog in this latest installment of the middle-grade Dog Chronicles.Originally unnamed, just prodded to catch rats on sailing ships, the dog Leo is wary of humans and resolutely a loner. Then he meets Marco, an orphaned Spanish boy who has stowed away on the Trinidad, Magellan's flagship, as Magellan begins his historic voyage to find a westward passage to the Spice Islands (now the Malukas, in modern-day Indonesia). It is Marco and Pigafetta, an Italian scribe who is aboard to chronicle the voyage, who name Leo after the dog saves Marco's life. Remarkably rich in factual details, Hart's accomplished narrative, told in first-person present-tense by Leo, animates the hardships endured—and courage needed—to sail into the literal unknown, threading them throughout Leo's personal journey of learning to trust. Montgomery's spot pencil illustrations enliven the narrative. Of particular note, Magellan's cruelty, arrogance, and thirst for glory are not whitewashed, as Leo describes him ordering the destruction of indigenous villages because they refuse to convert to Christianity or swear allegiance to King Charles of Spain. A lengthy author's note gives the facts behind the story and is vividly interesting in itself as a chronicle of 16th-century European knowledge and shipboard life. Frank history, attention to factual detail, and vivid adventures make this a standout. (bibliography, further reading.) (Historical fiction. 7-12)