Pirates!

Celia Rees. 2003. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. 379 pages. ISBN 1-58234-665-8.

Plot Summary: Fleeing an arranging marriage, Nancy Kingston and her runaway slave companion find refuge on a pirate ship and become pirates themselves. But Nancy fears the vengeance of the evil man to whom she’s betrothed, and is haunted by nightmares of his finding her. She is also haunted by memories of her true love—her childhood companion, now Naval officer. But would he able to love the pirate she has become? And will the evil Bartholome find her and wreak his vengeance?

Critical Evaluation: Pirates! is an exciting read, full of adventure and romance. Readers will learn of a woman’s traditional role in 18th century Europe, as the characters in Pirates react against it and bend gender roles. Readers will also learn of the cruelties of the slave trade and slavery in the West Indies. Rees provides several strong female characters in this book with accurate historical detail.

Reader's Annotation: Romance and adventure meet in this tale of two unlikely friends who find themselves living as pirates.

About the Author: Celia Rees is a British author and is renowned for her books for teenage readers. She is the author of seventeen books. Rees is a master of the historical romance and many of her books feature strong female characters. Besides Pirates!, Rees’s books include Witch Child and Sorcereress. Witch Child won several literary awards and Pirates! was given a starred review by Publishers Weekly.

Rees grew up in the Midlands area of England and her interests included the “gothic, ghosts and the supernatural” (celiarees.com). She studied History and Politics in college and was particularly interested in American history. She taught secondary school for over ten years before becoming a full-time writer.

Genre: Historical novel

Curriculum ties: N/A

Booktalking Ideas: : The evils of slavery and the dangers of the sea are just two of the themes of this book. A great adventure for lovers of both action and romance.

Reading Level/Interest Age: Grades 7 and up. A good book for reluctant readers.

Challenge Issues: N/A

Why Chosen: I found it on the shelf and thought it was a good story.