Attacked at Sea

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What to expect

Attacked at Sea is a riveting account of survival at sea, book four in the True Rescue series from Michael J. Tougias, the author of the bestseller The Finest Hours.

On May 19, 1942, during World War II, a German submarine, a U-boat, in the Gulf of Mexico stalked its prey fifty miles from New Orleans. The submarine set its sights on the freighter Heredia. Most onboard were merchant seamen, but there were also civilians, including the Downs family: Ray and Ina and their two children. Fast asleep in their berths, the Downs family had no idea that two torpedoes were heading their way. When the ship exploded, chaos ensued—and each family member had to find their own path to survival.This inspiring historical narrative tells the story of the Downs family as they struggle against sharks, hypothermia, drowning, and dehydration in their effort to survive the aftermath of this deadly attack off the American coast.

Critics Review

  • “Quotes from letters and diaries evoke the historical era. A well-researched account of one American family during a little-known episode of World War II.”

    Kirkus Reviews
  • “A remarkably exciting blow-by-blow account of the family’s ordeal. Their tale of the days on the ship before the attack builds tension and is interspersed with stories from aboard the two German U-boats…This exciting, highly readable story of survival deserves a place on most library shelves. Perfect for young history buffs and older fans of the ‘I Survived’ series.”

    School Library Journal
  • After hours of dehydration, hypothermia, and shark threats, the survivors were sighted by plane and rescued by smaller craft…in this true survival story that judiciously carries forward beyond the relief of the rescue. The peril facing two children lost at sea is convincingly conveyed, and the lasting effect on their family life is equally sobering.”

    Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

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