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A Wicked History
Sir Francis Drake
Explore the life of Sir Francis Drake. The wicked ways of some of the most ruthless rulers to walk the earth are revealed in these thrilling biographies (A Wicked History) about men and women so monstrous, they make Frankenstein look like a sweetheart.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2009
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74 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 12, 2022
Adult friends---Always consider a children's book for an introduction to a topic. Clear explanation--Well written--Easy on the eye. Charles Nick explains some historical forces behind the wicked history of "Sir" Francis Drake, Queen Elizabeth's pirate. It's like reading the Sunday newspaper only it's a little history book.
June 6, 2017
A Wicked History series provides a quick yet nice overview of the featured leader, in this case Sir Francis Drake; official pirate to Queen Elizabeth. These books are perfect for any middle/high school classroom or library and are guaranteed to make history exciting for students.
December 1, 2017
This book is perfect for students who love the Who Was... series, but need to be challenged more.
May 14, 2018
Not my favorite in the series but it was very informative.
June 6, 2018
Quick light biography of Sir Francis Drake- younger reading level.
October 24, 2023
I learned a lot about Francis Drake.
June 19, 2024
Another solid entry in the wicked history series.
July 15, 2024
From his teenage years on, Francis Drake was a scoundrel. Depending on his needs he would shift from a reliable sea captain, to a pirate, and even a slave trader.
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March 22, 2013Sir Francis Drake A Wicked History
Charles Nick
Biography
128 pgs.
Sir Francis Drake a Wicked History is a biography of Sir francis Drake. The book begins with Drakes child hood. He was raised in the country side of england however not much is known of his childhood. When he was a teen he moved to the port city of Plymouth where he would spend most of his life. He stayed with rich relatives on of whom was Tohn Hwakins. Under Hawkins Drake learned the ways of the sea. Hawkins was an experienced salior and pirate and Drake would use Hawkins as his mentor for years to come. Soon Drake was an expereinced salior. He began to go on slave trading trips with Hawkins and on his third trip he was no longer just an average salior he was in command of his own ship.After one fierce storm he decided not to stay with Hawkins so he slipped off into the night to head home. His decision put Hawkins in grave dangerand that choice haunted him the rest of his life. Soon after the trip Drake went out on a ship of his own. Over time Drake built up a huge reputation as a pirate. He circled the globe and was the first brittish man to do so. He also found spanish routes in the pacific. He plundered their ships and was honnore dfor that because at the time spain was protestant Englands catholic enemy. he was even granted knight hood by the queen of England. However not all people agreed that Drake was all that. Some people thought that he was no morre than a coward and a greedy criminsl. He distroyed many towns and took many prisoners. He even killed one of his own men when he thought that the man was guilty of muntiny. However all his prisoners were treated very well and were never killed or tourtured. even if is deeds weren’t horrible his luck at sea soon ran out. After several failed missions he began to loose his reputation and fourtune. On one last effort to mend his reputation he died and was burried at sea.
This book was not my favorite. I don’t [articularly care for biographies. It was kind of blnd and boring. The author tended to repeat the same thing over and over again. However the book was a quick and easy read. I don’t highly reccomend it unless you re on a time crunch.
Charles Nick
Biography
128 pgs.
Sir Francis Drake a Wicked History is a biography of Sir francis Drake. The book begins with Drakes child hood. He was raised in the country side of england however not much is known of his childhood. When he was a teen he moved to the port city of Plymouth where he would spend most of his life. He stayed with rich relatives on of whom was Tohn Hwakins. Under Hawkins Drake learned the ways of the sea. Hawkins was an experienced salior and pirate and Drake would use Hawkins as his mentor for years to come. Soon Drake was an expereinced salior. He began to go on slave trading trips with Hawkins and on his third trip he was no longer just an average salior he was in command of his own ship.After one fierce storm he decided not to stay with Hawkins so he slipped off into the night to head home. His decision put Hawkins in grave dangerand that choice haunted him the rest of his life. Soon after the trip Drake went out on a ship of his own. Over time Drake built up a huge reputation as a pirate. He circled the globe and was the first brittish man to do so. He also found spanish routes in the pacific. He plundered their ships and was honnore dfor that because at the time spain was protestant Englands catholic enemy. he was even granted knight hood by the queen of England. However not all people agreed that Drake was all that. Some people thought that he was no morre than a coward and a greedy criminsl. He distroyed many towns and took many prisoners. He even killed one of his own men when he thought that the man was guilty of muntiny. However all his prisoners were treated very well and were never killed or tourtured. even if is deeds weren’t horrible his luck at sea soon ran out. After several failed missions he began to loose his reputation and fourtune. On one last effort to mend his reputation he died and was burried at sea.
This book was not my favorite. I don’t [articularly care for biographies. It was kind of blnd and boring. The author tended to repeat the same thing over and over again. However the book was a quick and easy read. I don’t highly reccomend it unless you re on a time crunch.
February 21, 2017
Very interesting book on a fascinating life.
April 18, 2013
Genre: Non Fiction
Pages: 128
Author: Charles Nick
Summary:
Born somewhere in between 1538-1543 in England and raised in the County of Devon(the county who my mom actually named me after)Sir Francis Drake (nicknamed 'the Dragon' by the Spanish) was an independent navy marauder from the British isles who terrorized the seas (mostly, the Caribbean Sea), serving his life by capturing large Spanish fleets, attacking colonies, robbing cities, and stealing people from Africa to use as slaves. In England, he was dubbed a hero (although his main affiliation wasn't really with them, it was more of 'an enemy of my enemy is a friend').
Even though he was never really affiliated with the British, he usually targeted enemies of them and later actually served as Vice Admiral in the defense of England against the Spanish Armada. Major cities he raided include the Spanish settlement of Santo Domingo and Parma. He died of a strange sickness in 1596 and was put into a coffin after an enormous morning trumpet event. His body was then put into the sea.
My Thought(s):
Sir Francis Drake is considered to be one of the best british admirals in terms of navigating ever. It's pretty crazy that he went as far and in such exact locations in an age where the world was barely even mapped. He started from small beginnings to having his own enormous fleet. After he died, the British were the best navy on the sea for a good 300 years. My great (I think like six or so great's) was actually a British admiral for awhile prominently in the Napoleonic Wars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Di...
I enjoyed this book a lot and I'd recommend it to people who are interested in maybe colonial times or stuff about the early navies.
Pages: 128
Author: Charles Nick
Summary:
Born somewhere in between 1538-1543 in England and raised in the County of Devon(the county who my mom actually named me after)Sir Francis Drake (nicknamed 'the Dragon' by the Spanish) was an independent navy marauder from the British isles who terrorized the seas (mostly, the Caribbean Sea), serving his life by capturing large Spanish fleets, attacking colonies, robbing cities, and stealing people from Africa to use as slaves. In England, he was dubbed a hero (although his main affiliation wasn't really with them, it was more of 'an enemy of my enemy is a friend').
Even though he was never really affiliated with the British, he usually targeted enemies of them and later actually served as Vice Admiral in the defense of England against the Spanish Armada. Major cities he raided include the Spanish settlement of Santo Domingo and Parma. He died of a strange sickness in 1596 and was put into a coffin after an enormous morning trumpet event. His body was then put into the sea.
My Thought(s):
Sir Francis Drake is considered to be one of the best british admirals in terms of navigating ever. It's pretty crazy that he went as far and in such exact locations in an age where the world was barely even mapped. He started from small beginnings to having his own enormous fleet. After he died, the British were the best navy on the sea for a good 300 years. My great (I think like six or so great's) was actually a British admiral for awhile prominently in the Napoleonic Wars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Di...
I enjoyed this book a lot and I'd recommend it to people who are interested in maybe colonial times or stuff about the early navies.
August 8, 2011
The first book I read in Scholastic's Wicked History series was “Mary Tudor,” who has a “bad reputation” in history for executing Protestants. So she readily fit into the infamous category. Francis Drake, however, has a swashbuckling reputation owing to his exploits benefiting England. History is usually written by the victors. However, this book did try to present a more evenhanded view of Drake. He was a pirate – even Queen Elizabeth knew this. During the famous victory over the Spanish Armada, Drake disobeyed the fleet commander in order to attack and loot a ship carrying the Spanish soldier’s pay! He also heavily expanded the slave trade. Yet, he did have a personal code – he often released his prisoners unharmed. This little book provides information on most of Drake’s expeditions, including his feat of sailing around the world, and how he impacted the war with Spain and helped England gain wealth and naval supremacy.
There is one problem with the book, which the author readily admits – not much is known about Drake before he came to command his own ship or even about many of his expeditions – so there are quite a few instances of “Drake probably did…” and “It is likely that Drake….” However, this is preferable to making unsupported statements, even in a non-scholarly work.
Overall, this is a great addition to a wonderful series.
There is one problem with the book, which the author readily admits – not much is known about Drake before he came to command his own ship or even about many of his expeditions – so there are quite a few instances of “Drake probably did…” and “It is likely that Drake….” However, this is preferable to making unsupported statements, even in a non-scholarly work.
Overall, this is a great addition to a wonderful series.
November 28, 2012
Started 11/26/12
finished 11/26/12
154 pages
summary:
This book is about a slave trader pirate that lived in the 15th century in England. He was a little boy when he learned how to rob, he learned from his dad and cousin. He was one of the best pirates of all. He stole so much gold queen Elizabeth the III would give him boats and stuff to use on his trips. He wasn't just a pirate though he was also a slave trader. He would trade so many slave that he didn't know what to do with all of them. In this book they said that he saw a giant stash of gold that they couldn't get it all in one trip so the got as much as they could and went home. he didn't just have one trip like that he had many. soon the pirate died of old age on the decided he spent so much time on the water so they threw his dead body in the ocean and left it there because they thought that is where he is happy.
My Opinion:
I think this book was kind of good and kind of bad. This book was very boring and sometimes good. I would have given it a terrible review if it wasn't for as short and fast of a read it was. But also a lot of this book taught me about slave trading.
finished 11/26/12
154 pages
summary:
This book is about a slave trader pirate that lived in the 15th century in England. He was a little boy when he learned how to rob, he learned from his dad and cousin. He was one of the best pirates of all. He stole so much gold queen Elizabeth the III would give him boats and stuff to use on his trips. He wasn't just a pirate though he was also a slave trader. He would trade so many slave that he didn't know what to do with all of them. In this book they said that he saw a giant stash of gold that they couldn't get it all in one trip so the got as much as they could and went home. he didn't just have one trip like that he had many. soon the pirate died of old age on the decided he spent so much time on the water so they threw his dead body in the ocean and left it there because they thought that is where he is happy.
My Opinion:
I think this book was kind of good and kind of bad. This book was very boring and sometimes good. I would have given it a terrible review if it wasn't for as short and fast of a read it was. But also a lot of this book taught me about slave trading.
October 6, 2009
This series will draw readers with its blend of dark humor and factual information. It makes good use of images and maps. The information provided is pretty good, and will be enough for middle schoolers. The author presents the facts, allowing the reader to decide if the person is evil or not. Also helpful is an index, a glossary, a list of sources and suggestions for futher reading.
It held my attention well and I am looking forward to reading other titles in this series.
It held my attention well and I am looking forward to reading other titles in this series.
February 22, 2013
I actually didn't really love this book. It wasn't very interesting but I guess if you like pirate you might like it. It was non-fiction and by Charles Nick. It includes 127 pages. Sir Francis Drake was a pirate that had a dream too sail around the world and be rich and famous. Sir Francis Drake accomplished this goal. He and queen Elizabeth were partners and Sir Francis Drake lived double the life of a rich man and three times the leanth of a poor man.
May 24, 2011
As I say about all of these books: it was a quick read, yet extensive. I had never even heard the name of Sir Francis Drake before reading this book. The only reason I picked it up was because it grabbed my attention. I would recommend this entire series to anyone interested in finding out more about a "wicked" person from history.
March 3, 2016
Overall, it's exactly what one would expect from a middle school level book. Reasonably attractive and highly informative. Certainly not the most detailed book, but certainly an excellent introduction to the life of Drake.
June 25, 2020
This book was definitely an interesting read. I picked it up from my local library because I was hoping to get some more background information on Sir Francis Drake because I am a huge fan of the Uncharted videogames and this book definitely delivered.
April 16, 2010
It's the first time I read a "History" book and actually enjoy it.
November 28, 2014
Very well done for the age level.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews