Joe Howe to the Rescue

by Michael Bawtree

It is Halifax Nova Scotia in 1834, and 12-year-old Jack Dance, whose captain father is lost at sea and whose mother is poor, has to leave school and go to work. By chance he meets Joe Howe, who is impressed by Jack's brightness and invites him to be his printer's boy at the office of his newspaper The Nova Scotian. From then on, a series of things happen to make Jack's life exciting and even dangerous. He stumbles on a major smuggling ring, is kidnapped by the king of the smugglers, escapes with the help of a black ex-slave, befriends the smuggler's daughter Lucy, and then slowly uncovers the evidence that will destroy the whole smuggling business. Meanwhile Joe, who has already written articles about smuggling in Halifax and is seen as the smugglers' arch-enemy, has printed a letter in his paper which attacks the powerful and corrupt men running the town - including the king of the smugglers. They charge him with criminal libel, and he has to defend himself in court, to avoid fines and imprisonment.
Joseph Howe to the Rescue weaves together the true story of Joe Howe's fight for freedom of the press during this period, with the exciting fictional story of his printer's boy. Jack learns to love and respect his boss and his friend, who went on to become the greatest Nova Scotian who ever lived.

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Michael Bawtree was a Canadian actor, director, author and educator.

Reviews

[Digitally Lit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jorja's review:
Its 1843 and 12 year old Jack Dance is living in Halifax with his mom. Jack’s family isn’t the richest, and even though his dad made enough money to send Jack to school, that money has since depleted. Jack’s dad has not come back home from the sea in over a year. Jack will have to leave school after Christmas and find a job. One day Jack accidentally bumps into some shady guys who threaten to beat him up but Jack gets saved by Joseph (Joe) Howe the author of “The Novascotian”. Joe decides to walk Jack home and when Joe hears that Jack is looking for a job, Joe offers him a job as a delivery guy. Jack is ecstatic about the offer as both he and his mom are big fans of “The Novascotian”. Joe warns Jack about the dangers of working for him as he tries to fight against corruption in the city. Jack accepts but will he be able to face these dangers and help Joe Howe?

I really liked this book. It talks about what many kids had to do for their families in order for them to survive. The book also described how strict the law use to be when it came to publishing works. I rate this book a 5/5.

[Jorja Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It talks about what many kids had to do for their families in order for them to survive. The book also described how strict the law use to be when it came to publishing works. I rate this book a 5/5.