Hold Fast ― A Boy's Life Aloft

Hold Fast is a young adult, historical novel in the vein of Kidnapped. It combines maritime adventure, brutal story-telling, and a poignant sense of humor. In 1761, two young cousins are impressed into the English navy on the man-o-war Deptford and never see their home in Italy again. They travel across the ocean and survive countless threats, eventually making their way to the Colonies.

Marshall Highet is a professor and writer. Her YA sci-fi novel Spare Parts was published in 2014. Spare Parts also has an educational bent and Marshall has worked in tandem with middle school, high school, and college educators to create a syllabus that pairs with the book. She also maintains a social media presence to keep up with her readers. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family and two neurotic rescue dogs.

Bird Stasz Jones is Professor Emerita at Elon University with over 30 years working with teachers and young people in the United States and abroad. This is her family story and is based in historical fact (with fiction filling in the gaps). She lives in Vermont and Rhode Island.