The Gift of the Pirate Queen

by Patricia Reilly Giff, Jenny Rutherford (Illustrator)

Grace O'Malley is doing just fine taking care of her father and younger sister, Amy. She certainly doesn't want her cousin Fiona from Ireland to move in and take over. Grace has enough to worry about, what with Amy's diabetes and her own problems at school with her teacher.But Fiona does arrive and tries hard to fit in with the family. It's still hard for Grace until the day Fiona shares her story of the brave pirate queen named grace O'Malley. The tale makes her wonder: Does she have the great courage of the pirate queen?

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Fiction, School, Realistic Fiction, Chapter Books

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Patricia Reilly Giff was the author of many beloved books for children, including the Kids of the Polk Street School books, the Friends and Amigos books, and the Polka Dot Private Eye books. Several of her novels for older readers have been chosen as ALA-ALSC Notable Books and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. They include The Gift of the Pirate Queen; All the Way Home; Water Street; Nory Ryan's Song, a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Honor Book for Fiction; and the Newbery Honor Books Lily's Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods. Lily's Crossing was also chosen as a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in fifth grade. The emotions that Grace encounters in her family life and school are vividly portrayed. I felt that I was experiencing grief, anguish, and guilt right along with her. This would make a great book club book--there is plenty to mull over and discuss.

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should review The Gift of the Pirate Queen while the tears are still streaming out of my eyes.  I'd rank it right up there with Ellen Tebbits and The Boxcar Children, two books I read over and over again in grade school.  I actually own a copy of each, picked up long after I left home and moved into an apartment.  An adult, theoretically.

Gift of the Pirate Queen would have been another of my personal classics, if I'd encountered it back then.  But--did it belong in Shelf Discovery: the Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading?  Probably not--it's a classic but hardly a teen classic.  When I was a teenager I was reading Barnabas Collins and Fahrenheit 451 and The Warlock In Spite of Himself.

But if you're twelve, read it.  It is a funny, friendly story of a girl who thinks she's lacking in courage but isn't; who wants to be a veterinarian; looks after her goat and her adopted dog; takes care of her diabetic little sister Amy; does the cooking and cleans the house (maybe not perfectly but perfectly well enough); and does her homework.  With all that, suddenly her Father decides to bring his cousin Fiona, unmarried, elderly and a little strange-looking, over from Ireland to take care of the girls.  our pirate queen is having none of it.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and I am glad I found it or did it find me? Who knows! I have been a fan of Patricia Reilly Giff for a while, finding her books on and off again for over 10 years. This one was a treasure to read.
"Grace O'Malley is doing just fine taking care of her father and younger sister, Amy. She certainly doesn't want her cousin Fiona from Ireland to move in and take over. Grace has enough to worry about, what with Amy's diabetes and her own problems at school with her teacher. But Fiona does arrive and tries hard to fit in with the family. It's still hard for Grace until the day Fiona shares her story of the brave pirate queen named Grace O'Malley. The tale makes her wonder: Does she have the great courage of the pirate queen?"

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have become a fan of some of Patricia Giff's books. I chose to read this book because of the Irish influences and because one of the characters has diabetes. I wanted to see how the character, as well as the disease, was portrayed in a junior level book. Written in 1982, there obviously have been advances in the treatment of diabetes, but Giff wrote a fair representation. The Gift of the Pirate Queen has a positive message for the young reader. No matter what your age, everyone has the ability to change and become a better person.

[Julie Moronuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much when I was a young girl, so I was excited to read it to my sons. They liked it, maybe didn't love it, but they found some of the scenes and events interesting enough that we had long and good conversations about the different kinds of courage represented here. On the surface the book seems maybe a little bland, with a lot of things that seem to appear in the story for no particular reason, like Willie the goat and Buddy the dog. But once you latch onto a theme like what does it mean to be brave in these different situations, it's really quite a rich book.

[Ellen McKeown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace O’Malley is a sixth-grade girl who has been the woman of the house ever since her mother died in a freak fishing accident. Her father has been in a daze, her younger sister has developed diabetes, and she has a tyrant for a teacher.

Her father’s cousin Fiona arrives from Ireland and shows the family what they have been missing. Grace learns from the stories of Grania O’Malley, the pirate queen, that being brave does not mean you are never scared, it means you do what you need to do in spite of your fear. A perfect choice for 6th-grade girls looking for their place in the world.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting by the cover and title a pirate,adventure story. But that was not the case. It was about a girl who went through many feelings anger,guilt,and worry. She was upset about her sister with diabetes and her cousin coming to take over,but she copes with these problems,and it turns out to be a good book.

[Allegra S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this book as a kid. It had a cast of such interesting complex minor characters - the little sister that won't stop eating sweets, the aunt from Ireland that drives on the wrong side of the road. It's such a shame that amazing books like this go out of print. That being said, I am looking for a copy to buy if anyone is selling it!

[Tanya Gonsalves · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's just the right book for me!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

More somber tone than most of Giff's writing. The anger and confusion felt by the teenage protagonist are quite realistic. The dilemmas she faces and her indecision are easy to relate to.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story...taking some time to be a kid again and read some less intense books.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful coming of age story. A must read for all middle schoolers facing emotional problems.

[Samira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of her better books. It was confusing and hard to get into. The ending was abrupt- almost as if she’d just given up and quit writing.

[Jo Watson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so bad it made me realize why I hated reading as a kid.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one that the girls loved. Nothing spectacular, but some solid, modern-ish, easy reading fiction. And it posses the rare quality of no-romance. Who knew it was possible?

[Aubrie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book very much, however the title is very deceptive. Going into this book I though t it was going to be fantasy, which it was not.
The plot seemed very similar to some of Patricia Reilly Giffs other books, which made it a bit dull at times.
On the more positive side, I thought these characters had much potential.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because one of the characters was a diabetic. It was ok.