Tom Tin’s father has been arrested and taken to debtor’s prison in early 19th-century London. Desperate, 14-year-old Tom survives by scavenging on the grimy streets. But a sinister gang of young pickpockets threatens his life when they mistake him for a wily criminal known as the Smasher.

 

Just when Tom thinks his situation couldn’t get any worse, he is unjustly arrested for murder. Sentenced to seven years, he is crammed aboard a decaying prison ship along with 500 other convicts while waiting for transport to Van Diemen’s Land. Unable to endure the torment and misery, Tom plans his escape.

 

“… unforgettable is the gritty historical fact, especially the horror of the young convicts’ daily struggle and the wretched suffering of 500 children packed and punished on the ship.”—Booklist