Rebel Cargo

This powerful novel begins with Abena, a West African girl who is sold into slavery and transported on the notorious transatlantic sea-route to Jamaica's sugar plantations. Then the story turns to Mungo, an English orphan who becomes a cabin boy, only to be kidnapped and sold as a white slave. When fate brings the youngsters together, Mungo risks life and limb to save Abena from a terrible death. Together they plan their escape to the Blue Mountains, where rumor has it that a stronghold of runaways exists, led by the legendary Nanny. But can Abena and Mungo get there before the Redcoats and their baying bloodhounds drag them back? James Riordan, whose many collections of legends, folk tales, and children’s picture books have won acclaim, extensively researched slave times to bring authenticity to this tale that unflinchingly describes slavery in the early 18th century. Riordan's simple, vivid prose and memorable characters recreate a troubled era whose after-effects continue to be felt today.

James Riordan has traveled the world collecting folktales and has published over thirty volumes of tales from different countries. The Twelve Labours of Hercules won the UK Reading Association Award 1998. He is Emeritus Professor at the University of Surry and Visiting Professor at the University of Worcester, as well as holding honorary degrees from Birmingham, London, Moscow and Grenoble. He regularly reviews children's books for The Times., and his autobiography, Comrade Jim: the spy who played for Spartak, was published in 2008 by Fourth Estate.