
Take a Boy’s Own Annual story, from my childhood, update it to the twenty-first century and you have Charles Salter’s captivating children’s adventure book, How Three Brothers Saved the Navy: Kare Kids Adventure #3. Matt (12), Ryan (10) and Jack (8) are three typically rambunctious boys who like nothing more than to run and play together in the woods surrounding their home. For these three boys though, whose father is a Captain in the US Navy and a former Aircraft Carrier Commander, their play revolves entirely around pretending to be Force Recon Marines. The boys have absorbed, like sponges, everything about the Navy and have even read their father’s books on naval tactics and weaponry. When they discover the old, abandoned airfield has been taken over by some high altitude parachute jumpers, they are intrigued and determined to discover who they are and what they are up to. What they discover will throw them into a high-stakes battle against real terrorists and their nefarious plans to blow up their father’s previous carrier command, The USS Dwight D Eisenhower. They are in a race against time to save their country’s navy from some extremely determined terrorists.
As an adult, it is easy to read Charles Salter’s, How Three Boys Saved the Navy; Kare Kids Adventure #3 and scoff at the unlikely adventure the three boys throw themselves into so whole-heartedly. But, it didn’t take too long for my mind to drift back to my long-lost childhood and nod understandingly. This is a book aimed fairly and squarely at adventurous children of a certain age and inclination and it hit that mark perfectly. The language is age-appropriate and I can definitely see pre-teen boys and girls nodding their heads at the antics of these three brave young men. I guess my only gripe would be that this is three young boys (as was often the case in my long-lost days of youth) whereas perhaps a sister to lighten the gender imbalance might have been nice. That being said, the action was fast-paced and believable to a young mind. The story was relevant to today’s world and the author’s clear knowledge of weapons, procedures and tactics was evident. I enjoyed the read and am sure it will appeal to its target audience. The Kindle copy I read was devoid of illustrations, but it is possible that there are illustrations available in the print copies of this book.
