Pirates and Privateers
The History of Maritime Piracy

Cindy Vallar, Editor & Reviewer
P.O. Box 425, Keller, TX  76244-0425

---

Wooden ships and secret U-boats. Pirates and Nazis versus Nelson’s Royal Navy and two courageous youngsters. Missing children and a kidnapped dog. A time machine and a castle filled with secrets. Stir together with salty adventure and spicy intrigue, and serve with tea and biscuits. These are the ingredients that make Nick of Time a timeless adventure for young and old alike.

Nick McIver and his younger sister, Katie, live in the lighthouse on Greybeard Island, one of the Channel Islands. While keeping a wary eye out for German planes and submarines in June 1939, they stumble across a sea chest floating in a cove. It looks brand new, but Nick believes it dates back to the time of Admiral Horatio Nelson, a man Nick admires. The chest is too heavy to lift, so the two children visit Gunner, the local barkeep. What they find at the tavern, though, is Captain Billy Blood, a most fiercesome pirate who wants the treasure within the chest. When Nick refuses to identify its location, Blood kidnaps Nick’s dog and threatens to kill him at six o’clock the next evening unless he gets what he wants.

While retrieving the sea chest, Nick, Katie, and Gunner happen upon a German U-boat with capabilities far beyond what the British government suspects. The trio believe only one person can help them – Lord Hawke, a recluse who lives in the daunting castle on the island. News of Blood’s reappearance enrages Hawke and Hobbes, his companion, for this nasty pirate kidnapped Hawke’s children many years ago. The appearance of the U-boat and an urgent plea for help from Nick’s ancestor convince Hawke and Hobbes to help the trio save their country, Nick’s dog, and the missing children. While Hawke, Gunner, and Nick travel back in time to 1805 to help Captain McIver outfox Captain Blood and reach Admiral Nelson with vital information before it’s too late, Hobbes and Katie head for England to tell Winston Churchill about the submarine only to find themselves reluctant guests of the Nazis.

Nick of Time is one of those stories that you want to read under the covers with a flashlight after Mom tucks you in bed and turns off the light. The serpentine twists never slow the action, and the heroes must employ their wits, as well as their brawn, to overcome the villains. Although the book could have used a good copyeditor, the mistakes don’t detract from the suspense and exploits of Nick and his sister. The author, who usually writes for adults, wrote this book for young adults and older children, but grown-ups will enjoy this as well.  Nick of Time is a great story for families to read together.

Excerpt from Nick of Time
Visit Ted Bell

Book Review Copyright ©2006 Cindy Vallar

Home

Pirate Articles

Pirate Links

Book Reviews

Thistles & Pirates

Click on the Cannon to Contact Me