Neale's (The Cutlass and the Lash) first children's novel offers readers a white-knuckle read. Twelve-year-old Jack and 11-year-old Orrie, who alternate as narrators, can't trust their divorced mom to make sound decisions because of her long history of mental breakdowns. When she and her boyfriend, Skip, announce that Jack, Orrie and their seven-year-old brother will be sailing with them from the Canary Islands to Antigua in Skip's small craft, the news thrills Jack, who has decided Skip is "all right," but distresses Orrie. A diehard sailor ("I don't like engines. I like a sail. A man, the sea, and the wind"), Skip pours a can of Spaghetti-Os into the fuel tank to render the engine inoperable just before a storm strikes and sweeps him out to sea. Their mother almost immediately sinks into a catatonic state, leaving Jack and Orrie to take turns at the helm, battling fatigue and wrestling the wheel to keep the craft on course during another fierce storm. They also can't ask for help, thinking that if adults discover their mother's condition, she'll lose custody of them and be "put in the snake pit [where] they'll fry her brain." Jack is level-headed and reserved, while Orrie favors drastic expressions (after embarrassing Jack, she notes, "Winding my brother up is like shooting babies after you nail their feet to the floor"). Though the plot repeatedly strains credibility, kids who crave adventure tales will likely enjoy this rocky ride. Ages 10-14. (Apr.)
