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2000s: An adventurous story of a teen smuggling people into Canada
2000s: An adventurous story of a teen smuggling people into Canada
When Owen’s parents leave him on his own for a week, the sixteen-year-old gets bored and hatches a crazy idea: sneak onto the yacht that’s visiting the sleepy Pacific Coast island where he lives and stow away on an adventure! Once on board the vessel, Owen quickly finds out this is anything but innocent fun. The ship is packed with teenagers from Central America, and it looks like Owen has stumbled into a people-smuggling operation.
Complications pile up and as things head from bad to worse, a haunting incident from Owen’s past tightens its grip on him. There’s only one way to break free and make his way home. Owen and the first mate, Arturo ― a former street kid ― must work together to commandeer the boat and win the trust of those on board. But who’s friend and who’s foe in the shifting tides?
The author mentions that people smuggling, the theme in this novel, is a current topic today and her novel, she hopes, puts an adventurous spin on things.
Owen at first thinks of a stowing away as an exciting way to travel but he soon realises that boats are also being used to smuggle people for real, in groups at a time. The author realised that in times of storm, it’s a legal requirement for a country to allow a ship to dock for temporary shelter.
The action may be at sea so little is evident of locations to visit – however, the novel gives a great insight into life at sea, on a boat or in this case a luxurious yacht and a scheme where people trafficking can be deadly..
The boy lives on fictional Horton Island in British Columbia. The trafficked people on the boat are from Guatemala
Destination : British Columbia, Guatemala Author/Guide: Pam Withers Departure Time: 2000s
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