This book is based on the true story of a ship, batavia, that went down in 1629. It tells the story of two children, hundreds of years apart and flicks between the two. In 1628 a young girl called Mayken boards the Batavia with her nursemaid and the story tells of her life on board and when the ship went down, with the secrets and tensions amongst the adults on board. The second storyline is set in 1989 when a young boy, Gil, is placed in the care of his grandfather after the death of his mother. He becomes interested in the story of the shipwreck and the haunting of a little girl, Little May, but with his troubled past he soon runs into trouble with the locals. This book is wonderfully written and is a haunting story of two children years apart. It is easy to keep up with the storylines even though they flick between the two. Would recommend even if you don't normally like historical fiction