In the book The Sea Trolls, a young boy is drawn from his family’s routine life into an adventure that demands perseverance and bravery. From the start of the story, eleven year-old Jack deals with many problems and troubles with integrity and courage. To start with, he has his imaginative little sister, Lucy, and his criticizing father. Later, in the story, his positive behavior is tested again and again by a stubborn female troll, unforeseen dangers and self- sacrifice.

   Jack is a hard-working boy, and his days are filled with daily tasks to help support his poor family. He often gets frustrated with his father or sister, but he learns to control it and push it down. He gets into many unfair situations and has to sacrifice things important to him. He is second-loved by his parents, overshadowed by his delightful younger sister. As the book says,” Lucy had golden hair that made you think of sunlight. She had eyes the color of violets that grew in the deep forest. She was light as thistledown, merry as a lark... she had always been loved... in spite of everything, Jack couldn’t dislike her.” Jack, although he works hard and doesn’t complain, is never the main focus of appreciation for practically anything.

   When the Bard singles out Jack for training, Jack is extremely surprised. He has done nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to capture the Bard’s interest. What he doesn’t understand is that the Bard is not looking for someone who is physically strong, or particularly tall, or admired by many people. What he believes is important are the quality traits that people have within them. He is looking for someone with integrity, someone who will be able to handle with the problems that are thrust at him. The Bard realizes that sometimes the person who holds the most power or has the most capability is the person who can think fast and act quickly, not necessarily the one with the most muscles.

  When he is living with the Bard, Jack sometimes feels emotions of resentment towards the old man. While the Bard is teaching Jack the secrets of magic, he is also trying to teach Jack to control it too. Jack, who is curious and eager, doesn’t want to stop when the Bard tells him to stop. What Jack doesn’t realize is that the Bard is much more experienced than he is, and understands magic much better than him. These flaws show that no matter how able or honest someone is, it is impossible to be perfect because that is not in human nature.

   When Jack and his little sister are kidnapped, Jack does not sit and ponder at the unfairness of his situation. During the most part of the book, Jack does his best to do the right thing and act for the good of others, and not just for himself. He often gets exasperated with Lucy and Thorgil, an obnoxious berserker wannabe, but he does his best to forgive and move on from his irritation. Jack learns not to complain or wallow in self-pity when he is presented with difficult situations and unjustifiable sacrifices.

   During the course of the story, Jack learns to accept himself for who he is. In the beginning, Jack was constantly feeling put down by his father’s dismissal attitude of his efforts. However, when he trains with the Bard, he learns to be proud of himself and his talents. He becomes more responsible for himself and his actions; he learns to handle the weight of becoming accountable for his mistakes and failures as well for his successes. His maturity grows throughout his adventure, and at the end of the story, Jack has turned into a strong, sensible, and dependable young man. The Bard, as well as Jack’s mother and father, realizes this and is proud of what Jack was able to get out of his quest.

   This book is a great one to read for all ages, for readers can relate to it on a personable basis as well as a good story with an interesting plot. The sensual details draw readers into the story themselves. Jack’s emotions are ones we often feel ourselves; almost anyone can connect to feeling upset, confused, or angry. The way Jack deals with these feelings also helps readers learn to understand how to cope with negative moods. Jack’s story also demonstrates that some things cannot be controlled or dictated, and one can only deal with them as best as they can.

   I personally enjoyed this book particularly because of the complex plot. Nancy Farmer, the author, inscribes small details that prove important later on, and creates schemes that unravel themselves over time. This shows that life is not simple or straightforward, but rather complex on a variety of levels. Heroes, teachers, bullies, and many other simple-acting characters eventually reveal themselves to show an amount of interesting personality and surprising history. Every character, young or old, good or bad, male or female, has a story that makes them who they are in the book.

   This book is not just a battle between good and bad; it is a thrilling story of friendship and betrayal, of hope and of despair, of love and war, and of chaos and peace. Readers stand by characters as they grow and mature, and as they face danger and peril.