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Grace O'malley, Pirate Queen of Ireland
As the only child of the famous Irish chieftain Owen “Black Oak” O'Malley, piracy was in young Grace O’Malley's blood. She grew up on Ireland’s west coast and loved the land and seas her family had controlled for generations. They were all places Grace would eventually rule as well—as a pirate. Learn how Grace O'Malley became known as the pirate queen of Ireland in this adventure-filled graphic novel.
48 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 19, 2025
Daughter of a chieftain and pirate, Grace O’Malley chops off her hair and hides aboard her father’s ship until they are so far out at sea that he can’t tell her to go home. The day eventually comes when her mother puts her foot down and Grace must follow the traditional role of a woman in 16th-century Ireland. Later, she returns to the sea to become a pirate leader and dares to meet face-to-face with the English queen to save her son in Grace O’Malley.
Rather than farm the land, John Roberts joins the British Navy and seeks adventure. Later, he joins the crew of a merchant ship, which encounters pirates. He is forced to join their ranks, but soon discovers that the perks of plundering other ships will make his life richer. When his captain is ambushed and slain, the crew elects Roberts to be their commander. He chooses a new name and wreaks havoc everywhere he sails in Black Bart.
When England is at war with France, a youth named Edward Teach joins a crew of privateers, but when peace comes, he signs aboard a pirate ship captained by the infamous Benjamin Hornigold, who teaches Edward how to be a pirate. Before long, he becomes famous in his own right and earns a moniker that instills fear in anyone who crosses his path: Blackbeard.
To survive, young Ching Shih serves men who visit her place of work. She overhears men talking, and she offers the information to a pirate for a price. They marry and she becomes his partner. Their success garners them many riches and much power. When her husband dies, she finds a way to continue to lead the Red Fleet and to instill fear in the heart of the Chinese emperor in Ching Shih.
Notorious Pirates is a series of four graphic novels geared toward pirate apprentices. Each pirate’s life unfolds from earliest days to the end of his or her piratical career. Fact is entwined with legend, sometimes to fill in gaps, sometimes to further entice readers. Each book is divided into five chapters and includes additional facts about the pirate, a glossary, and several internet sites where additional information can be found. The text combines dialogue and narrative to provide a cohesive tale from start to finish. The artwork grabs the reader’s attention and the artists incorporate a variety of techniques to instill emotion into the scenes. Those found in Blackbeard are particularly good at portraying victims’ terror and Blackbeard’s fearsomeness. I particularly like how the artists of this book depict the final battle between Blackbeard and Lieutenant Maynard; it’s visually stunning without being bloody and gory. Equally compelling is how the artists depict a duel between a pirate and a sailor in Black Bart.
There are some issues with the books that may or may not bother readers. Unfortunately, the inclusion of websites is problematic. It’s great to provide additional information, but not all of the URLs are current. For example, the last one listed in Grace O’Malley – Twinkl: Who Was Grace O’Malley? – is no longer viable. I did a search to see whether the URL had changed, but the information that answers the question is no longer there. Instead “Grace O’Malley” turned up a variety of visuals and activities for use in the classroom.
While most of the artwork vividly depicts scenes and action, the graphics do have some shortcomings. The clothing in Grace O’Malley is that of a later period than the one in which she lives. Vessels of the 1500s do not have staircases – nor do those of Blackbeard’s days – and the types of cannons used on the ships differ from those of later centuries. The vessels Ching Shih and her pirates sail are junks, yet those pictured show them as being predominately Western-style ships. This detracts from the setting and misleads the reader.
There are also a few historical inaccuracies. One graphic perpetuates the myth of walking the plank. The golden age of piracy does not begin in 1701; it occurs after the War of the Spanish Succession ends in the next decade. This is supposedly why Blackbeard turns to piracy. While the depiction of how he meets Stede Bonnet is humorous, in actuality, Bonnet is gravely injured and on the mend at the time Blackbeard commandeers Bonnet’s ship.
Since this series is geared toward younger pirates in training (Reading Level: grades 2-3, Interest Level: 4-6), these books will be popular with this age group and the reinforced library bindings of the hardback editions guarantee they will stand up to frequent usage. They serve as good introductions to the pirates, and the inclusion of two females and two males ensures that the books will interest girls and boys equally. The stories do gloss over some of the seamier aspects of these pirates’ lives, so parents and teachers need not worry about this. I recommend that further investigations into these pirates be paired with these books so readers receive a fuller and more accurate picture of who Grace O’Malley, Blackbeard, Black Bart, and Ching Shih really were.
(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/YA-biograp...)
Rather than farm the land, John Roberts joins the British Navy and seeks adventure. Later, he joins the crew of a merchant ship, which encounters pirates. He is forced to join their ranks, but soon discovers that the perks of plundering other ships will make his life richer. When his captain is ambushed and slain, the crew elects Roberts to be their commander. He chooses a new name and wreaks havoc everywhere he sails in Black Bart.
When England is at war with France, a youth named Edward Teach joins a crew of privateers, but when peace comes, he signs aboard a pirate ship captained by the infamous Benjamin Hornigold, who teaches Edward how to be a pirate. Before long, he becomes famous in his own right and earns a moniker that instills fear in anyone who crosses his path: Blackbeard.
To survive, young Ching Shih serves men who visit her place of work. She overhears men talking, and she offers the information to a pirate for a price. They marry and she becomes his partner. Their success garners them many riches and much power. When her husband dies, she finds a way to continue to lead the Red Fleet and to instill fear in the heart of the Chinese emperor in Ching Shih.
Notorious Pirates is a series of four graphic novels geared toward pirate apprentices. Each pirate’s life unfolds from earliest days to the end of his or her piratical career. Fact is entwined with legend, sometimes to fill in gaps, sometimes to further entice readers. Each book is divided into five chapters and includes additional facts about the pirate, a glossary, and several internet sites where additional information can be found. The text combines dialogue and narrative to provide a cohesive tale from start to finish. The artwork grabs the reader’s attention and the artists incorporate a variety of techniques to instill emotion into the scenes. Those found in Blackbeard are particularly good at portraying victims’ terror and Blackbeard’s fearsomeness. I particularly like how the artists of this book depict the final battle between Blackbeard and Lieutenant Maynard; it’s visually stunning without being bloody and gory. Equally compelling is how the artists depict a duel between a pirate and a sailor in Black Bart.
There are some issues with the books that may or may not bother readers. Unfortunately, the inclusion of websites is problematic. It’s great to provide additional information, but not all of the URLs are current. For example, the last one listed in Grace O’Malley – Twinkl: Who Was Grace O’Malley? – is no longer viable. I did a search to see whether the URL had changed, but the information that answers the question is no longer there. Instead “Grace O’Malley” turned up a variety of visuals and activities for use in the classroom.
While most of the artwork vividly depicts scenes and action, the graphics do have some shortcomings. The clothing in Grace O’Malley is that of a later period than the one in which she lives. Vessels of the 1500s do not have staircases – nor do those of Blackbeard’s days – and the types of cannons used on the ships differ from those of later centuries. The vessels Ching Shih and her pirates sail are junks, yet those pictured show them as being predominately Western-style ships. This detracts from the setting and misleads the reader.
There are also a few historical inaccuracies. One graphic perpetuates the myth of walking the plank. The golden age of piracy does not begin in 1701; it occurs after the War of the Spanish Succession ends in the next decade. This is supposedly why Blackbeard turns to piracy. While the depiction of how he meets Stede Bonnet is humorous, in actuality, Bonnet is gravely injured and on the mend at the time Blackbeard commandeers Bonnet’s ship.
Since this series is geared toward younger pirates in training (Reading Level: grades 2-3, Interest Level: 4-6), these books will be popular with this age group and the reinforced library bindings of the hardback editions guarantee they will stand up to frequent usage. They serve as good introductions to the pirates, and the inclusion of two females and two males ensures that the books will interest girls and boys equally. The stories do gloss over some of the seamier aspects of these pirates’ lives, so parents and teachers need not worry about this. I recommend that further investigations into these pirates be paired with these books so readers receive a fuller and more accurate picture of who Grace O’Malley, Blackbeard, Black Bart, and Ching Shih really were.
(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/YA-biograp...)
October 15, 2025
This is one of a series of books about famous pirates. With the other books, I had heard of, such as Mary Read, and Black Beard, but had not heard of Grace O’Malley, so decided to pick this one up.
Since this is a book for the middle school group, we don't see anything gruesome on the page, and it is a very quick read. Enjoyable, although it was odd seeing Queen Elizabeth the first without her red hair. Not sure why she was drawn that way.
As one reviewer said, this is a stepping off point, more than anything. It makes one wonder more about her, even having read it. From reading this, and not researching beyond this, it appears that Grace was more of a privateer than pirate, if she had the queen’s blessing. It also makes me wonder how the Irish were getting on with this sort of thing.
Nice drawings. Quick story. A good choice for kids that want to know about how pirates were in days of yore with the bonus of it being about a young woman.
This book was published in 2024, and is available wherever they sell books.
Since this is a book for the middle school group, we don't see anything gruesome on the page, and it is a very quick read. Enjoyable, although it was odd seeing Queen Elizabeth the first without her red hair. Not sure why she was drawn that way.
As one reviewer said, this is a stepping off point, more than anything. It makes one wonder more about her, even having read it. From reading this, and not researching beyond this, it appears that Grace was more of a privateer than pirate, if she had the queen’s blessing. It also makes me wonder how the Irish were getting on with this sort of thing.
Nice drawings. Quick story. A good choice for kids that want to know about how pirates were in days of yore with the bonus of it being about a young woman.
This book was published in 2024, and is available wherever they sell books.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews