Cindy Vallar's Blog, page 39

Arizona Moon

Arizona Moon: A Novel of Vietnam by J.M. Graham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In October 1967, Marine Corporal Raymond “Reach” Strader leads his squad, part of Golf Company’s 1st Platoon, through the Arizona Territory. The 20th Viet Cong Battalion controls this section of Vietnam, but for five days, no one has encountered a single enemy in this heavily mined region – and that’s not a good sign. Since every step taken might be his last, Reach tries hard not to think about the fact that he is only “three days and a wake-up” from going home. Which is why the lieutenant tells him to get aboard the supply chopper for a flight back to An Hoa base. Reach doesn’t want to abandon his men, but Lt. Diehl offers him a choice – get on board, or Chief will shoot him – and while he doesn’t believe Diehl would follow through on the order, Reach isn’t quite sure about Chief.

Lance Corporal Noche “Moon” Gonshayee is a Chiricahua Apache. A few men in the squad think he might be crazy, but so far he’s not actually attacked anyone but the enemy even though they insist on calling him “Chief,” a name he despises. After Reach flies away, the platoon continues their patrol until they arrive at a spot to rest for the night. Moon, another man, and one of the new replacements from the chopper are posted as sentries farther ahead in case the Viet Cong decide to attack.

Higher on the mountain, Nguyen Xian Tho leads his unit on a special mission. They must avoid the enemy at all costs and deliver the weapons and ammunition they carry to a designated rendezvous before the Lunar New Year Tet celebration. Most of his men have been with him a long time, but two new members are students who left university to fight the enemy. One is Truang, who loves to read and always cheers for the Indians in the Zane Gray westerns he carries with him. Nguyen soon realizes the Americans have strayed too near to where he and his men presently rest. They can’t move without being heard, but to wait until morning guarantees a fight. There is only one option, one that is extremely dangerous with little chance of success, and so he entrusts several of his most experienced men with the assignment.

In the morning, after one of his men hears a noise, Lt. Diehl sends a squad to check on the sentry post. They find two Marines dead and Moon badly wounded. The position of a broken rifle suggests that he killed his companions. A call goes out for a medevac and guard to collect the dead and wounded. Unfortunately, Reach is in the wrong place at the right time and is ordered to accompany the chopper and bring back the prisoner; but he’s not permitted to properly gear up before taking off. On the return flight, enemy fire hits the chopper and it goes down. Reach and Moon are the only ones who escape, but with the enemy in pursuit the only place to go is deeper into the Arizona Territory. Hampered by the severity of his wound, Moon urges Reach to backtrack to where rescue troops will land near the downed chopper, and Reach reluctantly agrees. But the closer he gets to possible rescue, the more the Corps’ motto of leaving no Marine behind forces him to turn back, only to discover Moon is no longer there.

This novel allows readers to view the war from both perspectives, and the two sides unfold individually until circumstances bring them closer and closer together to the inevitable point where they clash. The mix of three cultures makes the characters more human, more realistic, rather than simply letters printed on the page. The author pulls no punches, never once glorifies war, and unveils it in all its stark reality and horror. It is an experience that leaves a subtle scar on us, one that is recalled long after the story ends. But as gritty as this novel is, there is also a ray of hope that provides an unexpected ending.

From first page to last, Arizona Moon is a powerful and gripping tale that takes place a few months before North Vietnamese forces launched the Tet Offensive. Graham vividly recreates the time and place, drawing on his own experiences as a combat corpsman with the Marines during the Vietnam War. His words and the cohesiveness of the platoon are so intricately woven together that they subtly draw us into the story without our being aware of the fact that we no longer sit in our comfortable living rooms, but are in the jungle carefully following in the footsteps of the men who walk before us. While Arizona Moon provides us with only a glimpse of what the men and women in Vietnam experienced, the story leaves us with a better understanding of what they endured.




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Summon the Queen

Summon the Queen by Jodi McIsaac

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Once a member of the paramilitary Provisional Irish Republican Army, Nora O’Reilly wishes she could go back and change the past. That way her brother might still live, rather than be caught up in the Troubles of Northern Ireland. She gets her wish with the help of Brigid, both an ancient goddess and a Catholic saint, after she dreams of a man calling out for help.

Cursed with eternal life, Fionn mac Cumhaill has wandered through time for centuries. Once a legendary warrior, he is now just a man, who lives with the agony of watching those he loves grow old and die while he remains forever young. The only way to break the curse is to free Ireland from her enemies – a task he’s attempted over and over again without success. Now Nora offers him hope that he might achieve this goal and, in the process, restore her brother to life and reunite with his loved ones who have passed.

But their first attempt during the Irish Civil War failed, and now they find themselves traveling back to 1592 to find the pirate queen Granuaile. But things never go quite according to plan, and they arrive five years too early and a long way from her home in County Mayo. They also “land” amidst the ruins of a church and a band of men, returning from a raid on the English. Nora shoots one rebel in a confrontation, but his partner recognizes Fionn as a friend and they are left alone to continue their arduous journey.

After a brief respite in Fionn’s home – the one in which his 16th century persona, Robert O’Hanlon, lived – they ride to Dublin to find a ship willing to take them to Galway. Gold assuages the sea captain’s qualms about putting to sea with a woman aboard. Just as Fionn and Nora kiss, Spanish pirates attack and he hastily disguises her as a man to protect her. After the pirates leave with their booty, the crew blames Nora for their bad luck. The only way to save herself is to keep the wounded captain from dying as Fionn and the crew try to reach Cork to repair the damaged ship.

Any hope of finding assistance there proves fruitless since the plague has struck the town. It’s a four-day ride to Galway, but Fionn and Nora have little choice. To remain is more dangerous than venturing through a burned-and-slashed countryside populated by desperate, starving people. Once they reach the city, Fionn goes to the docks to learn what he can about where Granuaile might be. But Galway is a dangerous place, and Nora’s innocent questions soon get her arrested. Sir Richard Bingham, the Governor of Connacht, believes her to be in league with Granuaile, his arch enemy, and Nora is imprisoned just as Granuaile is being taken to the gallows. Then Nora is whisked away to an Irish castle whose earl has been raised in the English court, and his methods of finding out the truth are far more subtle and dangerous than Bingham’s. Nora’s only hope is to escape, but how? Once free, how will she ever find Fionn so they can convince the distrusting clans to unite against their common enemy, the English?

Summon the Queen is the second book in Jodi McIsaac’s The Revolution series, and ’tis a grand tale indeed. Nora’s feistiness, determination, and caring heart make her a character readers easily connect with, although she has the annoying habit of often saying “ta” when answering questions. Deftly portrayed as a legendary-hero-turned-ordinary-man, Fionn is equally captivating and his reticence to form attachments that will only cause more heartache is a trait with which most of us can identify. Granuaile steps from the curtains of history to come to life and her exploits are dramatically portrayed, be it when she tells a story about her favorite son or risks everything to meet Queen Elizabeth herself. Whether depicting a starving woman or the banded corpse of a pirate on display as a warning to others, McIsaac vividly recreates sixteenth-century Ireland. Her skill at interweaving history with romance is reminiscent of Irish bards who mesmerized listeners with adventurous stories fraught with danger and intrigue, where each peril is more heart-stopping than the last.




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Quest for Blackbeard

Quest for Blackbeard: The True Story of Edward Thache and His World by Baylus C. Brooks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Who was Blackbeard? The answer to this is far from simple, because many legends surround this elusive person. In Quest for Blackbeard, Brooks sifts through genealogical and historical records to provide a fact-based response to this question. His use of these primary documents, some of which haven’t been seen before, allow him to distill facts from fiction. He does refer to secondary sources, but only to highlight how these narratives diverge from or defend his findings.

Since 1724 and written six years after Blackbeard’s death, a main source on pirates, including Blackbeard, has been Captain Charles Johnson’s A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates ever. Its author was a contemporary, familiar with the political and social constraints of the early eighteenth century. His true identity remains unknown, although Daniel Defoe and Nathaniel Mist are two candidates for this person. Brooks sides with historian Arne Bialuschewski, who makes a good case for the latter being Johnson, and this becomes evident as readers delve into the pages of Quest for Blackbeard. Over time, however, historians have come to recognize that Johnson blurred true history with fiction, so A General History is more semi-biographical in nature. This is why Brooks seeks information from more reliable resources to uncover the truth about Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard the pirate.

While Blackbeard’s piratical career is known, his origins are mired in mystery. Brooks, with assistance from other researchers and genealogists, has uncovered documentary evidence in Jamaica that sheds light on this quandary. Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Thache, although through the years it has been spelled Teach, Thatch, Theach, and Tach – a byproduct of an era when spelling wasn’t uniform. He was probably born in the environs of Bristol, England, and immigrated to Jamaica as a young lad with his parents and sister. His family had wealth and social standing in the island’s capital of Spanish Town (St. Jago de la Vega). During Queen Anne’s War (known as the War of the Spanish Succession in Europe), he served aboard HMS Windsor. While no ship’s logs or muster books support this – and Brooks provides good reasons why this might be – a Jamaican deed provides this information.

History has often been taught in a vacuum, so our understanding of events doesn’t always include the whole picture. In order to truly understand Thache, it’s important to view him from the perspective of the world in which he lived and through the eyes of those who either knew him or were impacted by him. Brooks ably provides this historical context, sometimes diverting from the straight and narrow, but he always brings the focus back to Thache. For this reason, readers simply seeking a book just about Blackbeard won’t find it within these pages. Instead, we are treated to a treasure trove of information that gives a better understanding of Thache’s world, piracy in general, and how politics, the media, and changing attitudes influence how he was and is viewed.

Brooks touches on a wide variety of interconnected topics that may have influenced Blackbeard in varying degrees. These include Jacobites, class, and religion, as well as locations such as Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the Carolinas. Among the many pirates discussed are Elizabethan Sea Dogs, Benjamin Hornigold, Henry Avery, Robert Searle, Charles Vane, Henry Jennings, Samuel Bellamy, and Stede Bonnet. Brooks also spotlights men who either supported or worked against pirates, such as Sir Thomas Modyford, Nicholas Trott, Charles Eden, Tobias Knight, William Rhett, and Alexander Spotswood. By examining all these people within the proper historical context, Brooks suggests we need to revisit and revise our “general modern view of dirty, poor, and destitute pirates, at least their leaders.” (9)

Throughout the 651 pages of this book Brooks shares what other historians and authors have written about Blackbeard. Among these are Peter Earle, Colin Woodard, Marcus Rediker, Mark Hanna, Robert E. Lee, and David Cordingly – names many readers familiar with pirate histories readily recognize. While Brooks agrees with some, he disagrees with others. Authors’ personal biases and agendas influence their writing, and readers should understand these while reading non-fiction. Brooks certainly recognizes this and, for the most part, his presentation is equally weighted; however, his discussions on armchair historians (those with no formal training in historical research) and those who “adopted” Thache as a North Carolinian demonstrate his own biases because the arguments come across more as rants than impartial evaluations.

While revising our understanding of pirates is one of Brooks’ goals in writing Quest for Blackbeard, he states two others. One pertains to corrupt private colonies and the need for “central government control for any progress to commence once . . . Britain dominated in America.” (9) The second pinpoints an epicenter for the dawning of the Golden Age of Piracy: the July 1715 hurricane that resulted in the catastrophic wreck of eleven of Spain’s treasure ships. The information he puts forth in this narrative masterfully supports these goals.

Each of the fifteen chapters begins with a quotation and has numerous subheadings. Footnotes are provided on pages where the source is referred to, but there is no bibliography. This requires readers, who are interested in locating the resource, to find its original footnote for the full citation. Figures (illustrations, maps, family trees, timelines, and charts) are renumbered with each chapter and no master list with page numbers is provided for easy reference. Nor are they always referred to within the narrative. There are three appendices, although the references to them within the narrative aren’t uniformly indicated. (The print in Appendix C is small and may require a magnifying glass to read.) The extensive index, however, mitigates these oversights to some degree.

Quest for Blackbeard is an absorbing account of Brooks’ quest to learn the history behind the legend. He admits that genealogy involves assumptions and identifies where he speculates on some aspects of Thache’s life and his contemporaries. This is why readers will encounter words such as likely, probably, and possibly throughout their reading. But these suppositions don’t detract from the importance of his research. The book is an invaluable addition to any pirate collection, and the “new” historical evidence and thought-provoking conclusions provide stimulating areas for future research and conversation.




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Daughter of the Pirate King

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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The Golden Age of Piracy

The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths by Benerson Little

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A pirate with an eye patch, and perhaps a wooden leg, wearing tall boots and an earring, with a parrot on his shoulder, and armed with cutlass and pistols. He, or she, drinks rum, might sport a tattoo, and curses up a storm when he’s not saying, “Arr!” This is the quintessential swashbuckling buccaneer of yore . . . or is it?

Most people recognize at least some of this description isn’t true. It’s Hollywood’s version or how writers portray pirates in their novels. Within the pages of this fascinating book, Benerson Little explores the myths associated with piracy and then delves into primary accounts to distinguish between fact and myth. He also explores how these myths may have originated, as well as why real pirates didn’t act as they do on screen and in print.

The book is divided into two parts. Six chapters address myths dealing with pirate violence in “For Some Body Must Be Beaten.” The remaining six chapters focus on pirate society in “The Custom of the Coast.” This study concerns the pirates who lived and preyed between 1655 and 1725. The topics covered are pirate flags and symbols on them; “false optics” and two famous pirates – Blackbeard and Bartholomew Roberts – who employed these techniques; pirate ships and those upon which they prey; techniques and torture used to gain information from prisoners; sea fights and attacks; duels and weapons; pirates and slaves; women pirates and pirates of color; pirates as revolutionaries and rebels; pirate democracy and utopias; and treasure.

Each chapter opens with a summary narrative that explores an episode from history related to the topic being discussed. The endnotes include the sources used in these condensations. Three examples of such events are Blackbeard’s blockade of Charlestown, the buccaneers crossing the Isthmus of Darien, and the capture of Calico Jack Rackham and his crew. Next Little discusses the myths pertaining to each episode before examining how they became myths and what facts led to this false picture of Golden Age pirates.

Unfamiliar terms are explained in context, and Little clearly identifies whether his conclusions are drawn from known facts or are educated hypotheses based on what period documentation shows. The source material listed in the extensive bibliography reveals not only the depth of his research, but also the numerous archival material and primary documents he consulted. The book includes a center section of illustrations, endnotes, and an index.

While a few other volumes discuss pirate myths, The Golden Age of Piracy goes far beyond these. Little sifts through the popular mythology and purposeful ideological speculation to introduce readers to the real pirates without turning a blind eye to their cruelty and crimes. That he does so in language that any reader will understand makes this a valuable resource and worthwhile addition to any pirate aficionado’s or historian’s library




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Hornblower's Historical Shipmates

Hornblower's Historical Shipmates: The Young Gentlemen of Pellew's Indefatigable by Heather Noel-Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Whether first read in C. S. Forester’s novels, heard on radio, or depicted in film, Horatio Hornblower is a larger-than-life character who has captured our imaginations and taken us back to wooden ships and stirring sea battles. His is a fictional portrayal, but Captain Sir Edward Pellew, his commanding officer, and HMS Indefatigable actually existed. In Hornblower’s Historical Shipmates researchers Noel-Smith and Campbell introduce us to seventeen real young gentlemen who served under Pellew, and examine how his patronage impacted their lives and careers. They also compare and contrast these junior officers with their fictional counterpart, as well as reassess the reputation and legacy of their daring and audacious commander.

During Pellew’s many years in the Royal Navy and his various commands, many young officers served under him – far too many to include in this study. To narrow down this daunting number, the authors chose to focus on those men who were aboard Indefatigable on 13 January 1797. That night off the coast of Brittany, they encountered the French warship Droits de l’Homme and, together with their consort HMS Amazon, they fought a daring battle for twelve hours in the midst of a deadly storm.

The Honorable George Cadogan, Jeremiah Coghlan, William Kempthorne, Nicholas Lechmere Pateshall, Henry Hart, Thomas Groube, Alex McVicar, John McKerlie, John Thomson, John Gaze, George Chace, James Bray, William Warden, Philip Frowd, Richard Delves Broughton, and Robert Carthew Reynolds are the seventeen men profiled within these pages. They served as Volunteers, Midshipmen, or Mates; most climbed the ranks to become senior officers and a few served as warrant officers. Some had no sea experience before joining the Royal Navy; others served aboard merchantmen or on East India Company ships. Coghlan was one of the latter, to whom Pellew offered a berth after witnessing his help in rescuing 600 from a shipwreck.

Pateshall’s early experiences most closely mirror those of Horatio Hornblower, and his many letters to family and friends provided the authors with valuable insights into this microcosm aboard the elite of the fleet and being an Indefatigable. This correspondence is just one of the many primary sources the authors consulted in public and private archives in the United Kingdom, United States, and France to bring these gentlemen to life.

At twenty-eight, McVicar was the oldest to join Pellew’s frigate. McKerlie lost an arm during one battle, but served as gunner, boatswain, and schoolmaster during his career. Kempthorne, whose family lived near Pellew’s, was dismissed from the navy, but through his patron’s assistance was reinstated. Thomson, whose father also served aboard Indefatigable, married into Pellew’s family and his years of service took him to ports around the world. Gaze spent most of his career serving under Pellew.

While all seventeen benefited from Pellew’s patronage, they came from diverse backgrounds. One was an earl’s son; another was a runaway from Ireland. Several eventually became admirals, and one was a naval hero in his lifetime. Three faced courts martial. Four had their lives cut short before the wars with France ended.

On the night of the encounter with the French ship of the line, these young men ranged in age from thirteen to twenty-eight. Their experiences and training played key roles in shaping their lives and careers, and the friendships remained strong throughout their lives. Their close relationship with Pellew and their heartfelt condolence letters contradict biographer’s C. Northcote Parkinson’s claim that few loved their patron.

Following the book’s ten chapters are an appendix that reproduces correspondence concerning Pellew’s appointment to HMS Impetueux, a bibliography, and an index. Footnotes appear on the relevant pages within the chapters, rather than being relegated to the end of the book. This makes it easier to note sources and read pertinent information to further explain points in the main narrative. Black-and-white portraits and photographs are also included where they are most relevant to the topics being discussed.

Hornblower’s Historical Shipmates is an in-depth analysis of seventeen of the young men who served under Pellew. The authors ably demonstrate how, through his patronage and guidance, they gained invaluable and wide-ranging experience that served them well throughout their lives. Inclusion of biographical information and historical assessments on Pellew, Indefatigable, and Droits de l’Homme allow readers to gain a broader understanding and deeper appreciation of these gentlemen, the wooden world in which they worked, and the commanding officer who shaped and befriended them. This compelling book is an invaluable addition to any collection with a focus on the Royal Navy and naval history.




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The Treasure of Barracuda

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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