The book of pirates A guide to plundering, pillaging, and other pursuits

Gr 5-10-This delightful book, written partly in pirate dialect, is full of creative activities, interspersed with plenty of fascinating historical facts. Constructing a foundation for the intrigue to come, the introduction defines piracy. The opening chapter is a true-or-false account of some of the many well-known myths about pirates: that they wore boots, eye patches, hooks, peg legs, etc. Subsequently, the authors discuss the origins and history of these rogues, the lives of famous pirates (including females), rules and codes and behavior, and present-day piracy. Those planning to attend an event as a pirate can follow the instructions for proper attire, along with diagrams and directions for makeup and the construction of a foam cutlass (ask Mom or Dad to help...). Jokes, games, songs, and a recipe for making cannonballs (from peanut butter) add to the fun. Though the activities will appeal to elementary students, the format, dense text, font size, and vocabulary seem more appropriate for an older audience. Black-and-white drawings, maps, and diagrams appear throughout, and numerous dusty mauve text boxes and page inserts create the look of an aging book. A glossary of pirate terms and a copious index are included. This title has a lot to offer; it just might have trouble finding its audience.-Susan Shaver, Hemingford Public Schools, NE (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Hook Many sailors and pirates were injured in sea battles and sailing accidents. Cannonballs whizzing across from the enemy ship did a lot of damage. Flying ropes and pullies from broken rigging whipping around could easily shatter someone's bones. Surgeons were still learning a lot about dealing with injuries and infections. Back then, usually the best they could do was to hack off the injured limb. Despite all those amputations, no real pirates are known to have worn hooks. Although it would help explain a lot of the missing eyes . . . Pirate captain William Condon had a shooting battle with a mutineer. Condon killed the mutineer, but not before the mutineer shot Condon in the arm and shattered the bones. The arm had to be amputated. The Barbary pirate Aruj Barbarossa lost an arm in battle with a Spanish enemy. Both Admiral Horatio Nelson and Admiral Don Blas de Lezo, whom we met above, were each missing an arm. There is no record of any of these men having hooks. The idea of a pirate with a hook seems to have started with Captain Hook in Peter Pan, though there were plenty of sailors who had hooks. Excerpted from The Book of Pirates: A Guide to Plundering, Pillaging and Other Pursuits by Christine Lampe, Jamaica Rose, Michael MacLeod All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.