Pirates & Privateers: Books for Pirate Apprentices -- Adventure

The Pirate’s Plot
by Ellen Miles
Scholastic, 2006, ISBN 0-439-59709-9, US $4.99 / CAN $6.99

Leo loves soccer – it is essentially his life – but the new coach insists on doing boring drills. He takes all the fun out of playing soccer. Leo blurts out in class one day that he’s going to quit the team. Mr. Taylor, his teacher, gets Leo to explain why. He has a big decision to make, but needs to think more about the problem. To help take Leo’s mind off his dilemma, Mr. Taylor asks Leo to name five items for Mr. Taylor to weave into a tale. Leo decides on a story that includes a pirate ship, a six-toed cat, a big chunk of cheese, a brass key, and a mop. Before long, Mr. Taylor spins a yarn about a lad named Tom who hitches a ride on a ship. He just doesn’t know there are pirates aboard!

Part of the Taylor-made Tales series, The Pirate’s Plot deftly weaves a modern-day problem with traitorous crew members in league with pirates. Children ages seven to ten will enjoy learning how Tom and Leo work out their problems. Finding Leo’s five items amidst the pirate story keeps readers tuned into the adventure. By story’s end, they’ll all wish they had a teacher like Mr. Taylor, who’s a rare treasure indeed. At the same time, The Pirate’s Plot introduces readers to wooden sailing ships and life at sea. The story is also suitable for reading aloud to younger children.

Rootbeer Beard: A Pirate’s Story
by Stephen Butterman
Bellissima Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-1-61477-055-8, US $8.95

Dolly and Roger Mercer happily await the arrival of their baby daughter, Mersadece. Until Dr. Storkenstein arrives with news that old, reliable Stan the Stork accidentally delivers their baby to Jolly Dodger, a pirate ship “captained by the mean and fearless Captain Weirdbeard.” (9) The Mercers refuse to give up on their little girl and vow to travel all the seas until they find her.

Meanwhile on Jolly Dodger, Eagle-Eye Ed is the first to spot the baby. Stewey the cook quickly whisks her below before Captain Weirdbeard finds her. Soon, she has most of the pirates at her beck and call, and she displays a particular knack at doing a required pirate skill – plundering Captain Weirdbeard’s hoard of rum and root beer. She so loves the soda that she develops a beard from its froth, which earns her the name of “Rootbeer Beard.”

One pirate, Mopsy, isn’t enamored with Rootbeer Beard because he’s relegated to cleaning up all of her messes. While Mopsy connives to get rid of her, Captain Weirdbeard discovers a shortage in his private stash and he intends to punish the guilty culprit!

Rootbeer Beard is a chapter book for young pirates or for adults to read aloud to them. It’s filled with humor and adventure, as well as unexpected twists and turns. Although a copyeditor with sight as keen as Eagle-Eye Ed is advisable, this charming pirate tale about two special types of families is great fun and a delight to share.

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Review Copyright ©2012 Cindy Vallar

Will of the Pirates
by Scott Mitchen
iUniverse, 2008, ISBN 978-0-595-46857-7, US $12.95
Also available in other formats

After Mr. Davies dies, his poverty-stricken family doesn’t have enough money to pay for the cart to take his coffin to the cemetery. His employer, Mr. Purvis, comes to their aid just in time, offering to give the older son a job in his chandlery and arranging for young Will to serve as a cabin boy aboard the merchant ship Thomas and William, captained by Captain North, a fair but strict man. On the journey from Oxford to London, Will becomes a hero when he saves his mother and brother from a one-eyed highwayman.

Although reluctant to bid his mother adieu, Will craves the adventure promised by sailing and he can’t wait until he meets a pirate face-to-face! One should always be careful of what one wishes. It rarely unfolds as expected, as Will soon learns. He has a hard time obeying orders, which nets him unexpected punishments. In Portugal, he befriends some English-speaking children and together they tour a fortress where Will overhears secrets he shouldn’t.

Once he and the rest of the crew leave for their next destination, Captain North helps a damaged ship by sending over Will, his friend and the carpenter’s mate George Beeks, Phips the carpenter, and several others. While on a dare from the ship’s cook, Will discovers a map and boxes laden with gold. He consults with George, and they decide to keep mum about it. Later, pirates attack Thomas and William, and Will finds himself a prisoner. Captain Hamlyn tortures the other hostages he takes, including Captain North, before he maroons them. The only prisoners he keeps are Phips and Will, but can Will keep his secret and find a way for Phips and him to escape before it’s too late?

Will is a likeable lad, who tries hard to heed his elders but finds himself drawn to mystery and exploration. He slowly learns to think before he acts, because his actions always have consequences. The villains are dastardly fellows you’d rather not meet on the street. If there is a drawback to the story, it’s that the ending doesn’t quite satisfy. It seems unfinished, which may be because this is but the first of Will’s journeys. Scott Mitchen bases elements of his story on what he and his partner uncover when they discover a real pirate ship off St. Thomas. Will of the Pirates is filled with adventure that will captivate readers, especially boys. 'Tis a grand tale to be read beneath the covers with a flashlight – unless ye be a landlubber frightened by pirates and secrets!