In this companion to “The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts,” Oliver has been convicted of thievery and banished to the American colonies. After a harrowing sea journey with other convicts, they are sold into indentured servitude. Oliver is purchased on the cheap by the brutal drunk Fitzhugh, who owns a tobacco farm. He also owns Bara, a black slave. Both boys are desperate to escape: Bara to join the maroons in the swamp and Oliver to track down his sister who was also sent to America. When the opportunity to escape suddenly arises, it means running for their lives. Suspenseful tone that will carry readers through, cliffhanger ending chapters. Formal articulate prose of the times. Depicts lesser-known aspects of history. Very descriptive of time and place. Adventure reading of sorts. ( )

This story is a sequel to The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts: Being an Absolutely Accurate Autobiographical Account of My Follies, Fortune, and Fate. Please read the first book, but Avi gives you a quick synopsis at the start of the book in case you can’t get your hands on it.

This book starts right where the last left off and Oliver is about to be sent to the colonies for the crime of stealing. Many of the other characters sentenced to be slaves in the colonies committed crimes that would result in community service today. The age of the convicts ranges from 6-80! Most (like Oliver) broke the law purely out of survival instincts. But, such is the reality of the 1700s. England needed labor in the Colonies, and this was an excellent way to supply the farmers with the workforce they needed.

I like this series of historical fiction; it sounds like you are reading Dickens if his language was modernized.

Please note that I received a free advance E ARC of this book from the publisher without a review requirement or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that, I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book. ( )