Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes (originally published 1923) features pirate action as well as a slightly multifaceted adversary in the pirate leader Tom Jordon, with much the same attitude I found in Treasure Island, but a passionless main character and a series of bloody battles gave the overall book a jolt of boring reality
The Old Tobacco Shop: The True Account of What Befell a Little Boy in Search of Adventure by William Bowen (first published 1922) and runner-up to the first year of the Newbery Medal, is even worse than the tobacco-filled title can suggest. With racist sterotypes, smoking by a young child, and bizarre, unconnected adventures, The
In Pirate Boy by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Julie Fortenberry (Holiday House, 2011), young Danny asks his mother a series of “what if?” questions, particularly about Danny joining a ship full of pirates. For each question, his mother has a way to bring him home safely again. Reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown’s classic The Runaway Bunny, Pirate Boy likewise reassures
Pirate vs. Pirate by Mary Quattlebaum and illustrated by Alexandra Boiger (Hyperion, 2011) is the story of two unfriendly pirates: the biggest, burliest pirate and the maddest, mightiest pirate of their oceans. When they meet, they are determined to figure out who is the best pirate in the world, with surprising results. The ridiculous exaggerations and insults
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