Cave of Secrets by Morgan Llywelyn (review)

In the summer of 1639, thirteen-year-old Tom Flynn flees his father's grand house in a fit of rebellion to explore the nearby caves on Roaringwater Bay, despite the rumors that these particular caves are home to Ireland's nastiest pirates. Instead, Tom finds Donal and his family, who are, yes, smugglers, but who also warmly welcome Tom into their family—and their illegal operations—almost immediately. Meanwhile, the political chaos of Dublin in the mid-seventeenth century begins to encroach on Tom's family's estate, as his father finds himself embroiled in the beginnings of the English Civil War and a Protestant lord threatens to take over the Catholic Flynn family's land—unless Tom and his new comrades can stop him. History buffs keen on details will find this novel by celebrated Irish author Llywelyn a treasure trove of information, both in the descriptions of everyday life along the Irish coast and in the portrayal of the Irish/English conflict, the pre-war English parliamentary upheaval, and Tom's father's desperate situation. Contextual clues allow even young readers who have no concept of Ireland's history to understand the basics of the unruly political landscape, while the domestic drama of Tom's efforts to gain his father's approval is nicely balanced against the historical backdrop. A few scenes of Tom's derring-do while helping his new friends smuggle gold add a bit of a thrill, but this is not so much a story of swashbuckling adventure on the high seas as it is a satisfying tale of a boy struggling to find a proper family.