I find it hard to understand why David Baboulene is not better known than he is. Although not available on the website I was able to purchase this book from my local branch of Waterstones. Once I picked it up I had real problems putting it down again, with laugh out loud moments in every chapter. The book is based on David's own experiences as a cargo ship apprentice, and all I can say is I'm amazed he survived to tell the tale! It does contain some adult humour so I wouldn't recommend reading it to your children, but it's not outrageously "blue" so it's fine to read on the train. I particularly enjoyed the chapter in which his friends take him to the top of a mountain surrounded by vertical drops for a spot of skiing; unfortunately he is not as good a skier as he had told them. You'll have to read the book to find out how he gets on with that.