Thrown to the Wind was a captivating story. Full of adventure and action. Definitely one of those books that you can't put down because you want to know what happens next. Amanda Cetas does an incredible job at capturing the era and transporting you there. At times I felt that I was alongside Etienne on the ship! You can tell that this story is part of her and she not only has done her research but her heart is in this story as well. 

Etienne is such a strong main character. At times you forget that he is only a young boy. The hardship he had to endure and the work he did alongside his father and on his own was incredible. Definitely puts things in perspective at how different times where then compared to now and how children in a sense "grew" up so much faster. A lot is put on poor Etienne and he being just a boy also struggles with a lot of things. He wants to be his own person and do his own thing. Although he looks up to his father he does not want the same job his father has. He wants to be his own person. He struggles with the death of his younger brother and blames himself for it. He also has a bully that is constantly putting him down and treating him inferior just because of his social class. You can't help but cheer for him throughout the book. 

It will be interesting to see how she continues the story and where it will go. I for one can't wait to read it. As a homeschool mom I thought this book was perfect for a family read aloud or an assigned book for a middle schooler who could do some more research to go with the history of it all. 

My Rating: 4 stars / Loved it!