Teetoncey (Cape Hatteras Trilogy) [Hardcover]

As soon as I opened the book Teetoncey by Theodore Taylor, I could almost feel the spray of the ocean in the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks of North Carolina are sometimes called "the graveyard of the Atlantic." In 1898, a girl washed up on the beach in the middle of a terrible storm. Nobody knew where she came from. Nobody knew who she was.That night, she was taken in by the O'Neal family, a boy named Ben and his mother Rachel, who tell the story about the girl they named Teetoncey, as if she was their own.

It was Ben who rescued Teetoncey from the churning waters that night. He was determined to show the courage his dead father had. That was why he brought the girl back to his mother to take care of her. The suspenseful way in which the author writes keeps you turning the pages throughout the book to find out what happens to the girl.

Teetoncey herself was silent throughout most of the book. She was struck dumb when her boat crashed on the shoals and her parents were killed, an orphan on a new land. The time she spent with the O'Neals was not easy for any of them, but these difficulties form the basis of the book.

The story begins with an interesting and informative introduction about shipwrecks on the Outer Banks. Almost every time there was a bad storm on the Outer Banks a ship washed up.The scene for the book is set. The author, Theodore Taylor, grew up in North Carolina and knew the coastline well as one of his hobbies was ocean fishing.All of Mrs. Taylor's books are based on real-life situations and/or characters. He is the author of many books for young adults, including The Cay.

I found Ben to be impatient at times. Sometimes Ben got so angry with Teetoncey that he attempted to kick her. At other times, he felt sympathetic towards her disability. Even though Teetoncey seemed not to comprehend any sound, I feel she really could and tried to respond to questions and speech.

Ben's mother, Rachel, took care of Teetoncey all through the story, approximately a month. She changed Teetoncey's clothes, gave her baths, and cooked her meals, as if she was her own daughter. The doctor believes Teetoncey to be a vegetable, to be completely brain dead, but Rachel believes that love and caring could fix her up.The ending of the book reveals the surprising therapy that helps Teetoncey.

I think one of the larger themes of the book is about patience and love. Ben had to put up with Teetoncey's passivity, and his mother's loving attention transferred to her. Ben took Teetoncey for walks, put up with her running away and even put up with her wetting his bed, but finally ending up enjoying her company. Rachel actually said,"I jus' couldn't turn my back on this girl," which shows how she cared for this helpless stranger that just turned up on their doorstep.

It is hard to say whom the single hero/heroine of the book is. All of the main characters made great sacrifices and learned much about themselves.

This tale of a girl, a boy, and a mother took place more than a hundred years ago in 1898, but some people are still taking in orphans and calling them their own. Loss and love are enduring themes that are central to this story. If you are interested in books about human nature and the sea, you will love this book!

The book,Teetoncey is written by Theodore Taylor. This book is a bout a boy named Ben and his mother, Rachel.Ben and Rachel live on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where ships are getting wrecked all the time because of the rocky coastline. Ben wants to show the rough and tough men of the island that he is not a sissy. One night there is a sudden storm that changes evrything for Ben. This frail young english girl Ben saved seems half-dead and cannot speak. At first Ben thinks the girl is crazy, but soon she becomes part of the family. As Ben helps this young girl to recover he solves some of his own problems.

If you like reading sea stories this book is for you. This book made me just keep reading and reading. Teetoncey is a very suspenseful book. I hope you enjoy this book as well as i did!

Young Ben O'Neal finds a girl who has survived a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Hatteras and his family takes her in. She is shrouded in mystery, having forgotten her identity in the trauma of the shipwreck. They nickname her Teetoncey, in reference to her petite size. But her spirit is huge! One day, when Ben's friends are trying to impress her with their knowledge of swear words, she floors them with a string of curses that would make a sailor blush! There is speculation as to whether she is from a rich family or not, and is there treasure that went down with the ship she was on? Will they find it? Ben evolves from a boy who feels stuck in the Outer Banks culture to a young man who begins to appreciate the world at large, as he gains respect for the young girl they call Teetoncey. Engrossing; excellent for 9 to 12 year olds.