Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "treasure"

The Treasure of Barracuda by Llanos Campos

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A long time ago, back when pirates sailed on wooden ships in the Caribbean Sea, an eleven-year-old lad with freckles has a most particular, and dangerous, adventure. Sparks invites you to join him on his journey, but warns that you must listen well. Every word is true; he never tells a lie! In his world mistakes can get you hurt, or worse, and you don’t get second chances. Along the way he imparts sage advice – such as never sit in a tavern with your back to the door – from lessons he’s learned in the three years he’s been a member of the Southern Cross.

With only a rusty hook for a left hand and a face badly scarred, Captain Barracuda is feared far and wide by other pirates. He’s clever, shows no mercy, and brags about having zero friends. He spends most of his time alone, or in conference with Nuño, the man he trusts the most among the crew, and the man who “adopted Sparks after he was abandoned at the age of eight. Sparks, however, has many friends among the fifty-three pirates: Two Molars, One-Eyed Boasnovas, John the Whale, Erik the Belgian, Malik the Malian, and Russian Kitty.

For six years Barracuda has searched for treasure buried by the oldest pirate to sail the South Seas – Phineas Krane. Many other pirates have hunted for this treasure, but only Barracuda is clever enough to find it. And he should since he even spent time in jail to gather clues from a man everyone else thought was crazy. When the Southern Cross arrives at the island of Kopra, Barracuda leads them to the exact spot where his men must dig. But the treasure within the chest isn’t gold, silver, and gems. Oh no, it’s “a blasted book!”

Barracuda is so angry he shuts himself in his cabin and doesn’t emerge until they return to Maracaibo. Once the ship docks, he fires the entire crew. Sparks and his mates are dumbfounded and not quite certain what to do. Then Barracuda advertises for a new crew and prospective candidates are to come to the Southern Cross on Saturday. Imagine his surprise when the weekend arrives and the only men on the dock are Sparks, Nuño, One-Eyed Boasnovas, John the Whale, and all the other pirates who used to sail with the captain. Since he needs a crew and they need work, what else can he do but take them all back?. And the last to board – sneaking onto the Southern Cross – is Two Molars with a package.

One night, they catch Two Molars hiding under the pantry steps reading a book by candlelight. Eyes widen when he confesses that it’s Phineas Krane’s book and that he just had to read it because he saw his name in it. Well, soon everyone wants to hear the story, so Two Molars must read aloud. But he’s not the best reader and it takes time for him to figure out strange words. Then Sparks has a brilliant idea – he wants to learn to read. Before long so does everyone else. There are just two problems: Two Molars isn’t the best teacher and there’s only one book, but fifty-two pirates.

Anyone who’s ever attempted to read knows just how confusing a task it can be, what with words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently. Before long, Two Molars becomes so frustrated he quits. But the pirates aren’t deterred. Sometimes it just takes time before what you’re taught snaps into place. And sometimes what you think isn’t treasure is actually a grand treasure . . . one that just might lead to even greater booty . . . if you’re willing to take a chance and brave dangerous places and come face-to-face with scurvy, untrustworthy people! Especially when you know you’re not the only one looking for Phineas Krane’s treasure.

The Treasure of Barracuda may be written for pirate apprentices, but I loved this book. I laughed, frowned, and held my breath as Sparks guided me through his adventure. It won the 2014 Barco de Vapor Award for Children’s Literature in Spain and is one of the best books I’ve read this year; adult pirates will enjoy it as much as younger ones. For those unfamiliar with pirate and nautical language, Barracuda’s Glossary will help you understand the world of pirates and sailing ships. Schimel’s translation of the original Spanish is seamless. Campos hooks you from the first page, and the innovative language and roller coaster action keeps you reading. Sardà’s colorful artwork is expressive and brings Sparks, Barracuda, and the other Southern Crosses to life. What’s even better is the promise of more adventures to come with Sparks and his mates.




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Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Pretending to be someone she’s not and hiding skills that could free her are difficult for Alosa, but to succeed in her mission, she has no other choice. She just can’t make her capture seem too easy for Captain Draxen and the rest of the pirates of Night Farer. She also wants to make certain her crew gets away unharmed . . . well, at least the three she trusts who are true members of her real crew. Her father handpicked the rest from among the debtors, thieves, and disobeyers who come to his attention.

Once he boards her ship, Draxen reveals that he knows exactly who she is: Princess Alosa, daughter of Kalligan, the Pirate King. When she attempts to negotiate her surrender, a battle of wits ensues. An accord is finally reached, but not without shedding blood, and his crew puts her crew in longboats and tells them it will take them 2 ½ days to reach the nearest port. Once there they are to deliver his ransom note to the Pirate King. Then Draxen sinks their ship.

Furious at losing face in front of his men, Draxen threatens Alosa before locking her in a cell. Getting out isn’t a problem; she’s quit adept at picking locks and well-trained by her father, but sneaking out must wait until the pirates are asleep. Only then will it be a tad safer to search Night Farer to complete her mission.

Many years ago a map was torn into sections and given to three pirate lords. These pieces have been handed down from father to son through generations. Her father has one. The second was held by Draxen’s father, but he’s dead now, which means Draxen may or may not have the map. In fact, he may not even know about it. It’s her job to find it; only then can she set in motion the rest of her father’s plan. Once he has all three sections and reassembles the map, it will lead him to the Isla de Canta – an island filled with treasure and protected by magical sirens.

Draxen’s brother Riden is tasked with interrogating Alosa to discover the exact location of Kalligan’s hideaway. While he’s out searching for herhter, Draxen will sail to the hideaway and lay an ambush. The Pirate King introduced the concept of honesty to make deals and negotiate with rival lords. Draxen prefers the old ways and being honest goes against the grain of many pirates. Hence his reason for capturing Alosa.

Having been raised by a vicious father, Riden has seen the crueler side of life. He doesn’t want to see Alosa hurt, but he’s not against allowing others to hurt her if she fails to answer his questions. Almost from the start, she recognizes Riden feels responsible for some situation. She just doesn’t know what or why. But she does understand that all he truly wants is to be loved and accepted.

Riden has a special skill, one that allows him to elicit information without others knowing this is what he’s doing. His technique differs from usual interrogations, and Alosa enjoys their cat-and-mouse game. Until she realizes she has shared some secrets, such as her willingness to do whatever her father asks just to please him. Riden also senses Alosa keeps a more important secret . . . but it’s one she can’t afford to reveal to him or anyone else.

From first sentence to last, Alosa weaves a magical web filled with powerful emotions that compel you to keep turning pages. She drops hints throughout her tale, but never reveals the truth until the exact moment you need to know. Levenseller deftly melds fantasy with pirate lore and betrayal. Just when you think you know what comes next, she inserts an unexpected twist that heightens the tension and sends you plummeting. The intended audience may be young adults, but anyone will enjoy this story because it touches on themes we all can relate to: the need for acceptance, a desire to be loved, and trying to please one’s parents no matter how high they set the bar.

Daughter of the Pirate King is a great fantasy made even better with the promise of a sequel. After all, there’s still one piece of map to find.




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Best Pirate by Kari-Lynn Winters

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Tuna Lubbers want the treasure hidden on Crossbones Island; so do Barnacle Garrick, who has the map, and his pirates. As his daughter moves the candle closer to examine the map better, she knocks it over. The flame burns through the map precisely where X marks the spot, which angers her father. He warns Augusta that she must “be nimble and fearless – not clumsy and afeard!”

Her teacher is the nimble, sneaky, and fearless Scully – the dog who will sneak onto the island and steal the treasure right from under the tuna-loving cats. Augusta practices everything that she learns and is well on her way to being the pirate her father wishes. Until she drops a cannonball on Scully’s good paw.

With only a peg leg left to stand on there’s no way he can retrieve the treasure as planned. No, that task falls to Augusta. It’s the only way to make amends. She takes the jolly boat ashore to find the treasure. Instead, she comes face-to-face with Scuppers, the son of the captain of the Tuna Lubbers.

Scuppers is terrified to confront a Frilly Dog, but he can’t go back without the treasure. Before the showdown between the two begins, the ground gives way beneath their paws and they fall into a deep hole. Finding the treasure proves simpler than either expects. Escaping from the hole, deciding who gets the treasure, and getting it back to the ship before anyone discovers them gone prove s to be a bigger problem to solve.

Best Pirate is a wonderful, amusing tale that shows sometimes it takes smarts, rather than fighting, to get out of a sticky situation. And sometimes an enemy may really be a friend . . . if you’re willing to work together. The story is beautifully illustrated with expressive characters that capture the imagination of those reading or listening to this pirate tale. To get readers and listeners into a proper frame of mind for the story, the inside front cover features examples of Pirate Talk and the inside back cover has Nautical Talk, as well as a diagram showing the parts of a ship. This is the third tale featuring Augusta Barnacle and it’s the best one yet!




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Race to the Bottom of the Sea by Lindsay Eagar

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Saying goodbye to the sharks on the last day of summer is a ritual for Fidelia Quail. She has studied her favorite fish for eleven years – her whole life. But this year, the sharks just aren’t cooperating. Not a single one is anywhere to be found, even though Fidelia entices them with their favorite chum. While she hopes and waits, her parents are down below in the submersible Fidelia invented. They are famous oceanographers who study the fish and flora of the nine seas. Fidelia is on the research boat, tagging fish and watching the Undertow – the deadly winter storms – approach.

Still, there’s time to make it back to the safety of Arborley Harbor. Her parents agree to ten more minutes, which turns out to be good because that’s when the biggest shark Fidelia has ever seen appears. Not only is his size a surprise, but it’s a totally new species! She names him “Grizzle” because of the scar on his dorsal fin, and if she can tag him, she will become famous. Aside from getting to decide on Grizzle’s scientific name, she might even win an award to go beside those of her parents.

The sea becomes rougher and time has run out. She misses tagging Grizzle and radios her parents that she’s heading for home and will meet them there. But they never arrive. When the submersible finally washes ashore, it’s smashed to bits. The loss of her beloved parents hits Fidelia hard and she blames herself for their deaths. Aunt Julia, the supreme librarian at Arborley Library (Fidelia’s new home), is understanding and caring. But she’s not Fidelia’s mother or father. As the days pass, Fidelia helps out at the library, but she never ventures outside, never visits her seafaring friends, never even opens her journal or cares about sharks.

One day, Aunt Julia tells her they must go to Fidelia’s house to pack up everything. The house is to be sold and all the contents belong to the university that funded the Quails’ research. Aunt Julia also suggests that perhaps she and Fidelia should move to the mainland – a suggestion that means moving away from the only home Fidelia has ever known. Too upset to think, she runs from the library, eventually making her way to where she lived with her parents.

And encounters pirates. Not just any sea-robbers, but the most notorious pirate, who is “wanted in thirty nations for robbery, burglary, arson, murder, jail breaking, and piracy” – Merrick the Monstrous, Terror of the nine seas – and his mates, Cheapshot Charlie and Bloody Elle. (85) They’ve come for Dr. and Dr. Quail, but since they’re not available, Fidelia will do. They’re kidnapping her, but if she helps willingly, Merrick promises to return her to Arborley within a week. If she refuses, he’s not known for being nice. Fidelia sees no alternative but to go with her kidnappers, so she collects the equipment she will need and the pirates take her to the Jewel, a pirate ship that has seen better days. Hopefully, the vessel will get them to where she’s supposed to help Merrick recover his treasure.

There are just three, no four, minor problems . . . well, perhaps not so little really. Merrick has violent coughing spells and is getting sicker each day. Fidelia has never quite gotten out the bugs in the Water-Eater – her invention that should allow her to breathe underwater, but does not. Then there’s another group of pirates, whose leader holds Merrick responsible for the loss of one of his mates. And the fourth complication? Admiral Bridgewater of Her Majesty’s Navy. This pirate hunter is particularly determined on capturing and hanging Merrick the Monstrous. He’s come close several times in the past, but each time Merrick has foiled his plans or managed to escape from prison. NOT THIS TIME! He will recover Merrick’s treasure and see him dead once and for all, no matter what!

Written for eight to twelve year olds, Race to the Bottom of the Sea is a wonderful scientific pirate adventure that readers of all ages will enjoy. Interspersed throughout the present-day story are brief interludes that show readers how the lives of Merrick the Monstrous and the other pirates intersect with Admiral Bridgewater and Fidelia’s family. They end with quotations from one of Dr. and Dr. Quail’s many books, Exploring an Underwater Fairyland, which are tied into what is recounted. Fidelia is an intelligent, bubbly girl who must come to terms with devastating loss and upheavals in her life. As she learns to cope, she also discovers that sometimes even nasty pirates have good qualities and that she’s not the only one who’s been hurt and has regrets. Race to the Bottom of the Sea is both entertaining and educational. It’s a great story to read aloud, perhaps with other pirate fans (like parents or librarians and teachers; maybe even the principal), or just by yourself. Even boys will like this Junior Library Guild selection, even though Fidelia is a girl.




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Loch Garman: A Novel of Viking Age Ireland by James L. Nelson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Thorgrim Night Wolf has one desire – to return home to Norway – but again the gods demonstrate that the time has not yet arrived. Such is definitely the case in this seventh book in The Norsemen Saga, for he and his men have but three damaged longboats with no sails. Rather than fight and pillage to gain what they need, Thorgrim barters with the Irish. His decision is of no import to Starri Deathless, the berserker, “[b]cause every time you say such a thing, there ends up being more fighting than a man could wish for, so I’m not concerned.” (21)

Treasure attracts more than the heathens who plague Ireland. One among the many rí tuath wishes to gain the rumored Treasure of St. Aiden for himself, which is why Airtre mac Domhnall and a hundred men have gathered outside the gates of the monastery at Ferns. Failure to return home without it will just result in censure from his wife, and Airtre would much rather confront an army of Northmen than face her empty-handed. But Abbot Column denies that such a treasure exists, for he will protect the secret of Ferns any way he can. He succeeds in thwarting Airtre this time, but knows his success is temporary. Sooner or later Airtre will return and when he does, the lord who came to his aid this time won’t be present.

While some of the Northmen begin repairing the ships and setting up a temporary camp on the shores of Loch Garman, Thorgrim sends his son to retrieve the two longships he lent to the enslaved Irish whom Harald helped free. The plan is to row the two vessels back to their camp, but once Harald and his contingent locate them, they discover they aren’t the only ones to find the boats. Airtre isn’t quite certain what to do with the ships, but they are important to the heathens and, therefore, there must be some advantage to possessing them. A surprise attack allows Harald and his men to reclaim the longships until they discover that the Irish took all the oars and without those or sails, the boats are useless. When Airtre comes under a flag of truce and offers a compromise, Harald sees no workable options than to accept. In exchange for the oars, the Northmen will help Airtre “reclaim” the Treasure of St. Aidan and to insure that both sides keep their pledges, they exchange hostages. The Northmen return to Loch Garman with a promise to rendezvous with Airtre at a prearranged spot not far from Ferns.

While his son is away and his men are busy, Thorgrim and Failend head to Ferns to purchase new cloth for the sails. Although the Irish and Abbot Column, as well as Brother Bécc, are wary of this offer of silver for cloth, the abbot agrees to the exchange with an additional stipulation. Thorgrim must also assist Brother Bécc (a former soldier who is now a monk) with putting an end to Airtre’s repeated attempts to plunder the abbey. As much as he would prefer not to fight, Thorgrim will do what he must to obtain the sails. Only after he returns to camp does he learn that his son is a hostage to this Airtre; that they are to meet Brother Bécc at the same spot where they are to await Airtre; and that the Northmen have now promised to fight on both sides. Thorgrim also understands why Starri was unconcerned about his peaceful intentions and how fickle the gods can be.

Loch Garman is an excellent example of circumstances making strange bedfellows, for such are rife throughout this wonderful tale. While the majority of it takes place on land, there are a few river scenes. Subtle shifts begin to emerge in relations between the Irish and Northmen that will eventually lead to a more peaceful coexistence. Lest you think you can guess the ending from this review, I assure you that isn’t the case. Yes, there is plenty of action as Starri foretells, but this intricately woven tapestry is far more than just adventure. It also showcases how warriors think, gauge their opponents, understand potential trickery before it unfolds, and find ways to counteract overwhelming odds to prevail without losing sight of the original goal.

Nelson possesses the gift of a true storyteller; his words easily spin visual pictures in our minds without inserting passages that allow us to stray from unfolding events. For the first time, Louis the Frank is actually likable and Starri’s interactions with Thorgrim provide insightful glimpses into two men who are no longer as young as they once were. For much of the story, Harald is apart from the rest of the Northmen and these wanderings not only allow him to discover the truth of Ferns’ secret but also to demonstrate his inner reflections that show both the true depth of his character and how he has matured as a man and a fighter.

There are elements within this book – perhaps the best offering in the series so far – that readers will identify with no matter their ages. For me, these include sly touches of dry humor, the rationalizing of internal conflicts, and the wisdom and frailties that come with getting older. Regardless of what attracts you, you will not be disappointed. From the opening confrontation to the heart-stopping climax, Loch Garman is a riveting tale that brings to life a bygone era of Irish history.





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Emily Windsnap and the Pirate Prince by Liz Kessler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Calamity is a hallmark of the Windsnap family. They are forever preventing disasters. After a brief respite from halting a major disaster, it’s time to return home. Being merfolk, Emily’s dad and her best friend travel underwater, but her mom, who is human, will sail aboard a five-star cruise ship. Thirteen-year-old Emily can go either way since she’s half mermaid, half human, but knowing her mom sometimes feels left out, Emily decides spending some quality time with her mom is best. So with her mom, her mom’s best friend, and Aaron, her own boyfriend, Emily boards the ship. After all, what can possibly go wrong there?

PIRATES!

To be more precise, the pirate king, his wife, and his two sons, along with all the members of their crews, board the cruise ship, steal all the treasure, and lock the passengers in their staterooms. Well, almost all. Emily realizes that Aaron has vanished and fearing he’s in trouble, she sneaks out of her cabin to search for him. That’s how she happens to overhear the pirate king discussing a contest with his sons, Noah and Sam. Noah, who is arrogant and seems to do no wrong, has won the first round. Sam had been in the lead, until his mother realized the present he gave her – Emily’s mother’s necklace – has a mermaid on it! His dad goes ballistic, and Emily realizes that the pirates hate mermaids. Which doesn’t bode well for her if they learn her secret. She also discovers why Noah has snatched Aaron. He’s familiar with Halflight Castle, which gives Noah an advantage in the next round of the contest. The ultimate prize is Trident’s Treasure, and once they find it for their father, he will retire and the winner will become the new pirate king.

Determined to find Aaron, Emily offers Sam a way to better his chances of winning. If she helps him find the treasure and he becomes the new pirate king, he promises to release Aaron. It seems to be a win-win situation until she discovers that Sam doesn’t really want to be a pirate and that his crew would rather be aboard Noah’s ship. Plus pretending to be a hostage isn’t as easy as she thought, and what if Sam or the others discover who she really is? That possibility becomes even more real when she learns that Noah doesn’t have just one prisoner. He has two: Aaron and Shona, her best friend and mermaid. Even worse, Aaron has turned pirate.

This eighth book in the series is a galvanizing treasure-hunting adventure, whether this is your first visit to Emily’s world or you’re a longtime fan. It’s also a tale of discovery, not only in deciphering the puzzles but also in being true to yourself, rather than what everyone expects you to be – a lesson Emily learns the longer she works side-by-side with the pirates. Kessler deftly demonstrates the differences between a loving family and a dysfunctional one. Emily Windsnap and the Pirate Prince is humorous, poignant, and magical.




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Pirate Nell's Tale to Tell by Helen Docherty

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It’s Nell’s big day. Her wish has finally been granted. She’s a pirate!

She brings along her Pirate’s Almanac, a book she’s studied forward and backward until she knows everything about being a pirate. She tries to share the book with Captain Gnash, but he frowns on reading. Nor is her grand adventure quite what she envisioned. Her days are spent scrubbing pots and swabbing the deck. Yet the crew enjoys the many tales she spins at night just before they go to sleep.

One night while on deck, Nell retrieves a bottle floating in the water. Inside is a treasure map, which Captain Gnash confiscates. Even though he hasn’t a clue as to where the buried treasure is, he sets off to find it, encountering troubles and perils along the way.

This captivating book demonstrates that gold and silver don’t always make the best treasure and, sometimes, even the newest pirate makes important contributions both to the ship and the quest. Complimenting the story is the vibrant color artwork that provides young pirates with treasures galore to find, such as Captain Gnash’s boneleg (a pegleg made out of a bone) or the lurking sea serpent. One of my favorite illustrations depicts the ship and crew tossed about during a storm. Another is what Nell and her mates do with the treasure. This rhyming tale will delight young and old alike, and is sure to be a young pirate’s favorite tale of adventure aboard a pirate ship.




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Betrayal by Julian Stockwin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Sneaking around the African jungle in the dark of night isn’t the safest way to take the enemy. After all, there are lions and snakes and animals with horns. The water may be more familiar, but unknown dangers lurk there as well. The French ship has chosen her hiding spot well some distance up the Zambezi River where L’Aurore cannot venture. A frontal assault by boats will be a slaughter, but Captain Thomas Kydd is not to be deterred. It’s vital to discover the location of Admiral Maréchal’s squadron and Nicholas Renzi’s intelligence, acquired from locals, is their first lead. Kydd’s plan is fraught with danger and timing will be key.

Later, Kydd learns the risks have been for naught. Maréchal and his ships have returned to France. Of course, that presents Kydd with another dilemma – one that he gives no thought to until after he meets with his commander, Commodore Home Popham. They are far from home and the war, and with everything going smoothly in Cape Town and its environs, the opportunity to distinguish themselves in ways that will gain them honors, riches, and promotions are just about nil. Has Kydd truly gone from working in a wig shop to commanding his own ship only to have his career stymied?

Never fear, Popham isn’t one to sit on laurels. Prior to Trafalgar, an idea was put forth to the prime minister and received his blessing. It involves taking advantage of the unrest in South America to gain new allies and profit from the seizure of the treasure currently going to, when possible, into Napoleon’s coffers to fund the war. Now is the perfect time to implement that amphibious operation and using a page from Nelson’s handbook, Popham intends to have his squadron sweep across the ocean and seize Montevideo and Buenos Aires for the British just as they did when they conquered Cape Town. With Kydd’s help, they should have no trouble gaining the army’s assistance and swaying the other captains over to their way of thinking. There’s only a slight problem; they will be undertaking this venture without proper orders from the Admiralty. Better to take action and ask for forgiveness later. After all, this will be a cakewalk. What can possibly go wrong?

Stockwin is a master at recreating exotic locales that transport readers back to past places and times. Nowhere is this more evident than in Betrayal, the thirteenth Kydd Sea Adventure. Contrasts between Africa and South America make the latter even more menacing, as do revelations about Popham that Renzi shares with Kydd. Equally engaging, at least to anyone who has ever thought of writing a book, is Renzi’s trials and tribulations once he decides to craft the novel that his friend suggests. As with any creative endeavor, taking an idea and turning it into reality isn’t as easy as it appears. In this regard, Renzi’s writing shines a mirror on the dilemmas that Kydd faces. Patriotic fervor is another theme interwoven into this story. Rather than a coin with two sides, this passion can be multi-faceted and involve intrigue as much as treachery. While Kydd spends a fair portion of his time on land in this tale, the contrivances that place him on water are unique and the action, hair-raising. While stories set during the Napoleonic era are many, Stockwin selects lesser-known aspects of it to provide readers with uncommon undertakings where the risks and the rewards are high.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates & Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Stockwin.h...)



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A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself by Katherine Howe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A hanging is a momentous affair. Especially when the execution is of a pirate. William Fly, no less, a totally unrepentant sinner. Everyone will be there . . . well, everyone but Hannah Masury. She’s been forbidden to go by her employer, but Hannah doesn’t necessarily heed what she’s told.

When Hannah finally returns to the tavern’s stable where she sleeps, she finds it occupied by a young lad. He claims to be Billy Chandler and he’s hiding because everyone wants him dead. He even shows her the black spot that marks him for death. She’s not fully convinced that he tells the truth until after they head for the tavern to get some food while everyone else is asleep. But they become separated. She hears a gravelly voice and an odd sound before she stumbles upon Billy’s dead body. Then her name floats through the fog. If she wants to live, she has only one chance: don male attire and pretend to be Billy. He planned on shipping out on a schooner as a cabin boy, which provides her with the means and opportunity to escape before the pirates catch her. As they say, the best laid plans don’t always work out exactly as one hopes, and she finds herself aboard the Reporter whose captain spends most of his time drunk in his cabin and the first mate is none other than Edward Low.

Travel forward in time from 1726 to 1930. Professor Marian Beresford teaches history at Cambridge College in Boston. One of her students, Kay Lonergan, has come across a handwritten diary from two centuries ago. Marian is skeptical about its authenticity, but there’s something compelling about the journal. The more she reads, the more she questions her initial findings. She decides to visit her father, an esteemed historian, in New York and get his opinion. He concurs with her initial assessment . . . but even a slim chance of it being real is sufficient for the trio to persuade the Explorers Club to finance a trip to find the pirate treasure that Hannah Masury writes about in her diary. Just imagine the glory that such a find will bring with it. Marian may finally prove herself worthy of following in her father’s footsteps. In the meantime, Kay wants to go for another reason . . . publicity. She thrives on getting her name in the spotlight, and so she joins them on their grand adventure.

The past and present are interwoven in a seamless tapestry that contrasts Masury’s life with Beresford’s. Marian also compares who she is now with who she was when she was Kay’s age, as well as measuring her own choices and career with that of her father. Howe provides an accurate depiction of Ned Low’s brutality as a pirate and hints at the fact that he didn’t start out being that way. The story is also rife with pirate tropes. Pirate life and behavior is realistically portrayed, although I found it interesting that Marian’s father cites The Pirates Own Book as being the source he uses as proof that the journal is a fake. (This 19th-century volume includes falsehoods as well as truths much like the pirate-age contemporary resource, A General History of Pyrates.)

Two words are key to whether this story works: “plausible” and “probable.” Women did masquerade as men and did become pirates, but how likely was it for one to join the crew of Ned Low? While I think the answer improbable, Howe weaves her tale with enough believability to make Hannah’s story plausible. The entwining of past and present strengthens that belief, while the themes of betrayal, humiliation, and proving oneself are universal and transcend time.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates & Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adult-hist...)



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Pedro the Pirate: A Foster Kid's New Crew by Ciara O'Neal

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Pedro the Pirate stands alone. Others offer to help, but he only needs Parrot the dog. He does not trust others, especially Governor Daddysbeard. One day, though, Pedro locates treasure too heavy for him and Parrot to take. But the governor has no trouble seizing it. How ever can Pedro the Pirate get back the treasure?

Readers are kind of dropped into the story, not sure exactly what is happening. Yet this is the perfect way to recreate what a foster child feels like when placed in a new foster home. It is a feeling many can relate to, including the author who herself was a foster child. She craftily maintains a piratical atmosphere as Pedro learns to trust.

The text, which is small for picture or chapter books, is geared toward young pirates who know how to read, but the colorful illustrations allow younger pirates to understand what’s happening if the story is read aloud. Simple pirate lingo adds to the feel of a true pirate story. The artwork is uncrowded and deftly conveys exactly what the narrative says.

Treasures abound within these pages, not just with the story itself but also in the artwork that accompanies it. The author provides questions to discuss before the book is read, while the book is read, and after the story ends. There is also a “Do You Speak Pirate” page that includes instructions on how to “Make Your Own Treasure Chest.”

Although Pedro the Pirate is a great introduction to what it’s like to be a foster child, it’s also a story that any reader, no matter their age or family circumstance, will readily understand. As O’Neal says in her author’s note, “Everyone, no matter who they are, goes through stormy waters.” Perhaps learning about Pedro will allow you to find a way to navigate through your storm.


This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/ONeal.html



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