Reread in one day today. Still a solid five stars. The prose is simple and child-friendly without being condescending, the plot is compelling while remaining historically rich and incredibly nerdy. I understood more of the sailing references! I will never be as smart as Nat Bowditch, but I am in awe of his dedication both to sailing/navigation and to scholarship in general. I hope I can be a fraction as cool someday.

I also learned that his book is still in place on every U.S. Naval ship today. That's 226 years of being the authoritative text on naval navigation.