Islands and Captains. A Novel in Three Books

For a long time, Vladislav Petrovich Kaprivin was considered a children's writer, and some still think so today. This unfair opinion has developed among critics because his books were published mainly in children's publishing houses (or in children's editions of... regional publishers). Indeed, the main characters in his books are boys. But there is a big difference between writing for children and writing about children. In the first case, the readership narrows down to a children's audience. In the second, the book is read by everyone, regardless of age. Jules Verne, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," Kaverin's "Two Captains" — is this children's literature or not? The answer is obvious. So is Vladislav Kaprivin — a writer for all ages.
The heroes of the novel-trilogy "Islands and Captains," growing up and becoming men, are united by a goal — the search for a missing manuscript about the famous Captain Krusenstern, the first of the Russian navigators to circumnavigate the globe. They are also united by a dream. A dream of the sea and ships that guides them through life. Do you remember the words of the oath in "Two Captains": "To fight and seek, to find and never give up"? This is also about them, the heroes of Kaprivin's book — boys with open hearts and a bright flame in their eyes.