Michael Molloy is, apparently, an accomplished author of young adult fiction -- his "witch" books are very popular. With Peter Raven Under Fire, he turns his hand to historic naval fiction for young adults. Peter, the well-educated son of a clergyman is determined to go to sea and has prevailed on his father to find him a midshipman's berth. He is almost immediately swept into intrigue and espionage as he becomes the protégé of the mysterious Commodore Beaumont. Unfortunately, Molloy has not done his homework. Or rather, he has not done it well enough. The book is riddled with howlers and inaccuracies. He makes a muddle of naval vessels (100-gun frigates, indeed!), naval ranks and shipboard vocabulary. He makes no pretense at describing ship handling -- captains simply turn their ships. There are also language issues that a copy editor should have caught, like confusing "feint" and "feign". Molloy's conception of interactions among officers and men is based more on his imagination than on research. Still, this is fiction and written to engage young adults, so maybe that excuses some liberties. The same must be said for the preposterous plot in which Raven and Beaumont pit themselves against an evil villain who, like Dr. No, plots to rule the new world from his secret island fortress. For all that, Molloy is a skilled story teller and sweeps the reader into the action. For those willing to suspend disbelief and overlook historical inaccuracies (or, like many young readers, be unaware of them), this is an engaging story. I imagine a youngster would enjoy it, but if I were choosing historic naval fiction for a young friend I would probably start with Linda Collison or Paul Doswell.

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

Thirteen-year-old midshipman Peter Raven is assigned to active duty aboard the HMS Torren. Boys became men early in England in 1800, and Great Britain is in her seventh year of struggle with France. The French Revolution is over, and Napoleon Bonaparte is in power. He needs money to defeat the English and exploit the Louisiana territory where he plans to install a "King of New Orleans" under French rule, and has chosen one of the privateers that are active in the Caribbean; a vile and quite mad pirate that has promised him the money he needs. These pirates attack any ships that cross their paths, murdering the crews and stealing the cargoes.

When the HMS Torren falls prey to the pirates, Peter and the charismatic Matthew Book manage to separately escape, but everyone else is murdered. Peter becomes apprenticed to a British Spy, and is reunited with Matthew. The three of them strive to outwit the pirates and French government and keep America out of their hands.

This lively book has a multi-level plot and exciting characters. I thought the size of the book might be a bit intimidating for reluctant readers, but it left me wanting more. The action goes from the English Channel to Paris to the Caribbean and back again. It's a seafaring adventure on a grand scale that is impossible to put down. Molloy promises a sequel, and I can't wait...Peter Raven is one of my favorite characters. There is even a bit of romance with the beautiful, rich young American girl, Lucy Cosgrove. ( )