The topics of sailing and adventure seem to be the center of the story. This should create a special interest in young readers because the voyage on the boat across the Gulf of Mexico evokes exotic images that are very remote from everyday experience.

A closer analysis, however, reveals a much more complex thematic interest that is developed in a very subtle way. By introducing characters that represent starkly different social backgrounds, Strasser prepares the ground for constructing the themes of the novel.

With Ian and his older sister Talia, the reader gets to know two adolescents that come from a single-parent family. Brought up by their mother, who has worked two jobs to support the family ever since her husband died, Ian and Talia have experienced financial hardship. Since they have never been anywhere besides visiting their aunt in Tulsa and going to...