The Astrolabe

Based on the ship’s journal of the explorer Captain Jules Dumont d’Urville of the historic Astrolabe, this is the story of Lucien, the ten-year-old cabin boy and their three year adventure, which takes them from France all the way to Australia and back again. In 1788, two French ships disappeared in the Pacific Ocean. Five years later, the king who had sent them was beheaded. Nearly forty years pass until, in April 1826, a ship sets sail from France in search of the lost expedition. The youngest member of the crew is Lucien, just ten years old.

One night a hurricane brings disaster – where can Lucien turn for help? Is the sinister sailor, Simonet, trying to scare him? Why? Is there kindness behind the captain’s stern face?

At last they reach the windy coast of Western Australia, where Lucien meets an Aboriginal boy, Yalepouol. His strange dance seems to be a warning to Lucien…

In Sydney town, Lucien finds terror and delight, but when Simonet ends up in deep trouble, it’s all Lucien’s fault. As the ship heads into the Pacific, Simonet hatches a plot. On the reefs of Tonga, the villainous sailor gets his revenge on the whole crew. Months later, they reach a sinister tropical island, where they discover a terrible secret from long ago and they are in grave danger…

* Ages 8-12