Silver Medal Winner, Historic Fiction YA, 2014 Literary Classics Awards

On a quiet day in 1858, two desperate men hijack a schooner from the Marblehead, Massachusetts harbor. Trapped aboard his grandfather's boat is fifteen-year-old Luke Constance. He is a normal kid who plays pranks on the townsfolk and has a crush on Agatha, his classmate. But Luke is not ordinary-very well versed himself, he reads aloud to workers in small, local shoemaking shops. And he knows more about sailing schooners than most seasoned seamen. Told by Luke with wry humor and a teenager's sense of fun, this extraordinary adventure confronts the sea's wrath and men's foibles and the violent rage of both. In the end, Luke needs every bit of his wit, learning, and resourcefulness to survive.

"In this heartwarming tale about growing up in New England in the mid-19th century, Ruddle includes plenty of interesting information about the sea and the colorful people who work on it...It's also packed full of historical information, which the author weaves seamlessly into the narrative; at one point, for example, Luke talks about national strife and the just-invented telegraph: 'You could work that telegraph until the wires started to smoke, and it wouldn't make folks love each other.' An educational, engaging story about 19th-century New England that's particularly suited for readers passionate about sailing." -Kirkus Reviews

"My Name is Luke is about a young boy caught in the middle of an unfortunate trip out at sea on a bad day. It all starts when he is awakened on his grandpa's moored boat by the movements of two men who steal it, believing no one is aboard. They find themselves in very rough and stormy seas. The boy reluctantly becomes one of the crew members to save himself and proves to be a worthy sailor. Together, the trio battles fierce winds and waves and collectively uses their seafaring knowledge to the best of their abilities. A storm of internal conflict hits Luke like the raging storm outside as he tries to deal with the odds of him surviving the ordeal.... If you enjoy reading about action at sea, then My Name is Luke will be an enjoyable read for you." -Bryone Peters, Readers' Favorite

"Serves up a healthy portion of wit wrapped up in a raucously good tale reminiscent of some of the classic literature greats. This book [is] highly recommended." -Literary Classics

"Cut from the same cloth as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Kidnapped or Treasure Island. Spinning a Stevenson-esque yarn with wit to rival Twain, author Jim Ruddle has created a timeless coming-of-age tale. Indeed, reviewers in the future may liken seafaring adventures written a century hence to this engaging book." -WindCheck Magazine
About the Author: Jim Ruddle, longtime radio and television journalist, has a similarly long attachment to sailing. He enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in his teens and became a radio operator aboard ocean station vessels in the Atlantic and Pacific. Following his discharge, he pursued a life of broadcasting and academics, earning graduate degrees and teaching at two major universities. For a break, he crewed on a hurricane-battered schooner attempting a transatlantic crossing and learning the limitations of old wooden boats. Later, he concentrated on television news broadcasting in Chicago for many years, sailing Lake Michigan from May until the snow fell. Leaving that career behind, he lived and cruised aboard a steel-hulled cutter for four years before settling down to residence in the northeast U.S. and sailing the Long Island Sound and New England waters in smaller sailboats.