The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy 
by Mackenzi Lee 
464 pages, YA
Katherine Tegen Books (Harper Collins), 2018

When I heard someone mention the title of this book, I hoped it might be nonfiction. You know, a tell-all about famous women pirates.

But I was delightfully surprised to find it an adventure tale spun in the eighteenth century starring a young woman who desperately wants to become a doctor. That is SO not socially acceptable for her family’s station, besides which no hospital (or physician) will accept her as a student.

Plus there’s her name, Felicity Montague: a star-crossed name if ever there was. And this intriguing first line: “I have just taken an overly large bite of iced bun when Callum slices his finger off.” We learn that Felicity works in the bakery that Callum owns. And he’s a bit distracted as they wash the dishes, which is how he ends up slicing the tip of his finger off. Felicity, who has been reading medical treatises for so long, is now faced with an actual medical emergency.

And not to put too much of a damper on her relationship with the baker, she reveals that “with a chunk of his finger missing, Callum is the most interesting he has ever been to me.” Then we dive into Felicity’s mind. She is thinking about the 27 bones four tendon, three nerves, two arteries, and other aspects of hand anatomy. Callum, on the other hand, would like Felicity as his wife. She could do worse than marry a baker, he posits…

We know she’s going to leave before she knows it. She’s got a brother in London. Surely he’ll take her in. Before long, Felicity is up to her eyeballs in intrigue. My favorite part is where she runs off to join a pirate expedition to protect sea monsters – a far cry from applying to medical studies. But science is science.

The writing is fun to read! For example: “…traveling with Johanna and Sim will be like trying to wrangle kittens into the bath…” This is the kind of writing that leaves the sting of sea salt on your face and your hair tangled in knots by the wind.

And then – there’s Back Matter. As many of you know, I love back matter, and Mackenzi Lee does not disappoint (though I will point out the distinct lack of end notes). She talks about women characters in historical fiction and then addresses the aspirations of her three women characters. And she shares stories of real-life women in history who inspired each of them. And so we learn about women in medicine, scientist, and piracy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Review copy discovered @ my library.

But!

But!
by Tim Hamilton
32 pages; ages 4-7
Holiday House, 2014

If you're looking for some beach reading - and you're not afraid of pirates - this might be a good choice. It's a bit zany, and features Tim Hamilton's wonderfully cartoonish drawings.

Eddie lives with his dad and his dog in Halibut Bay. It's a nice enough place, but people have cold heads because they don't have hats.

One day Eddie and his dog are off for some fishing. But dad stops them in their tracks. You have chores to do, he says. And by the way, watch out for pirates. So Eddie sets off and everything seems to be going well... BUT...

And therein lies the story. Eddie tries to do what he is told, BUT.... He tries to bake a cake. He tries to clean up. He wraps the presents. He's getting everything ready when Pirates show up! He realizes that his gifts won't do: he's wrapped up socks BUT...

the pirates don't need a pair of socks. How will they put socks on a wooden leg? Eddie does some quick thinking and comes out ahead. He solves the problems and makes everyone, even his crabby aunt, happy.

BUT...

Review copy provided by publisher.

Poppy the Pirate Dog's New Shipmate

Poppy the Pirate Dog's New Shipmate
by Lizz Kessler; illus. by Mike Phillips
64 pages; ages 5-9
Candlewick Press, 2014

Ahoy, mateys! Welcome to the second installment in the tales of Poppy the Pirate Dog. This be a chapter book, with plenty of fine illustrations and very little actual pirate lore.

There are five short chapters. The first begins like this: "Poppy the Pirate Dog was bored. She was home alone. Again."

After a fun-filled summer featuring pirate ships and buried treasure, her people are heading back to school. As if that weren't enough, they're busy with after-school sports too!

Poppy needs a friend - and her people come up with a marvelous idea: get her a shipmate so she won't be so lonely. But what Poppy thinks an ideal shipmate is and what her family thinks - well, let's just say that those two ideas don't share anything in common.

George, the new shipmate, is cute. George gets to lie on the bed. George finds Poppy's buried treasure. George is a... cat!

But when George gets in trouble, Poppy walks the plank to rescue her new pain-in-the-tucas shipmate. What fun! This book deserves a staaarrrggghhh!

There is no Perfect Picture Book Friday round-up today, but there is a wonderful Halloweensie story contest happening over at Susanna Leonard Hill's blog. So head on over and read a few stories.
Review copy provided by publisher.

Privateer's Apprentice ~ blog tour & author interview

Privateer's Apprentice
by Susan Verrico
224 pages; ages 9-12 & beyond
Peachtree, 2012

It is the Year of Our Lord 1713 in Charles Towne, the Carolina Territory, and Jameson Cooper is in jail. He thought, when he grew up, he'd take on his father's job as recorder of deeds and printer. But when his mother dies of smallpox, followed three weeks later by his father, Jameson is left homeless. He is accused of stealing and sentenced to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

While running an errand for his new master, Jameson is knocked unconscious, kidnapped, and pressed into service aboard the "Destiny", serving Queen Anne. His new master is the fearsome Captain Attack Jack who, in addition to liberating gold and jewels from Spanish galleons, seeks to claim new territories for England. Jameson not only proves his worth as a sailor, but also finds new uses for his artistic skills in mapping the New World.

Susan Verrico, who penned this whopping good adventure on the high seas, is passionate about history. She graciously answered Three Questions (and a half) about her book.

Sally's Bookshelf: What inspired this story?

Susan: History was my favorite subject in school. Privateer's Apprentice grew out of an interest in the pirate era, combined with growing up in Florida and hearing stories about pirates and buried treasure.

SB: What sort of research did you do to give your book such authenticity - and how long did it take?

Susan: When I sat down to write Privateer's Apprentice I remember thinking: so, what do I know about pirates? I quickly realized that most of my knowledge came from Hollywood. I thought all pirates had peg legs and had parrots perched on their shoulders. In order to write the book I wanted to write, research wasn't an option - it was a necessity. It wasn't too difficult because I'm so interested in that time period. It took a while, though, because I took lots of breaks along the way, raised my kids, went back to college... all in all, the research and writing took several years.

SB: What did you learn that surprised you as you worked on your book?

Susan: That many pirates were mostly decent men who were just trying to earn a living after Queen Anne's War ended. That was the mind-set in developing the captain's character.

SB: question 3 1/2 - Will we be seeing more of the young lad, Jameson?

Susan: I hope so! 

Hop on the Book Tour~
Tuesday (tomorrow) the tour stops at Book & Movie Dimension
Wednesday it's dropping by Boys to Books
Thursday check out Word Spelunking
and Friday the tour winds up at There's a Book

Have Fun! This is part of the Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday round-up. Check out more great reading here. Review copy from publisher.