by Carolyn Meyer
ages: 10-14
First sentence: “Odd, isn’t it, how a trivial thing can turn out to be a matter of greatest importance in one’s life.”
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I had high hopes for this one.

I found it at the library while reading the evolution book, and I thought: a historical fiction book about Darwin. That’s got to be fascinating. Maybe it’ll shed more light on the whole evolution debate. Maybe it’ll be good historical fiction (Carolyn Meyer is a good writer). Maybe I’ll like it.

And I did. Well, the first third anyway. Meyer begins with Darwin being sent to boarding school, chronicling his education and interests. Education, he despised and (even though quite smart) did little for. Interests, though, he had many of. Including collecting, shooting, walking… but nothing that (he or his father thought) would lead towards a suitable career for a well-off but not noble English man.

Then, when he was 22, he was recommended to go on a surveying voyage around the world with a Captain FitzRoy. It was on this trip that he not only began to formulate the theory of evolution, but figured out what he wanted to do with his life. But, it’s also where the book fell apart for me. I enjoyed learning about Charley’s childhood. He’s a fun and fascinating kid, and Meyer has captured his voice in such a way as to bring him to life. But, once on the voyage, he’s bogged down in seasickness and collecting that it became much less interesting. And so, by the time the four year voyage was over, I had completely lost interest in the book.

Yes, it is really the adventures of Charles Darwin. It’s just too bad that they’re not terribly interesting.