Ray Conlogue’s Shen and the Treasure Fleet is a big, sprawling old-fashioned boy’s adventure story. The imperial city of Nanjing is under attack as the Prince of Yan prepares to depose the Emperor, and 13-year-old Shen and his sister, Chang, are trying to flee along with their mother before the city gates are breached. Helped by an old family friend, Lan Yi, head of a troupe of Chinese acrobats, the family escapes Nanjing, but then the children’s mother is arrested and imprisoned.

Shen and Chang become part of Lan Yi’s troupe, which joins Admiral Zheng He’s amazing fleet of treasure ships to take Chinese culture and trade goods to the world. Shen, longing for word of his mother and desperate to find out if his father is alive, becomes caught up in the political machinations of the admiral and puts his own life as well as his sister’s in danger. But as in all good yarns, he is ultimately able to bring his family back together and anticipate new adventures as this one ends.

Based on the historical 15th-century voyages of Admiral Zheng He, Conlogue’s story neatly whisks readers on a fascinating trip that few will be familiar with. Here are all the elements of really great adventure: a missing father, a captive mother, pirates, enormous ships, and plenty of treachery.

However, while it’s clear that Conlogue’s done a lot of research, there’s so much happening in the novel that one storyline gets overwhelmed by another. And Shen is not a very likeable character: he seems to lack backbone and is far too easily manipulated by adults, driven only by anger and resentment. Conlogue does try to contrast Shen with his more reasonable sister, but Chang is used too often as simply a foil for her brother rather than as an individualized character herself.