July 1, 2007
Gr 3-6-These books describe their subjects' times as well as what was known about their lives. Hamilton does not glorify these ruthless men, but she also does not dwell on the fact that they were savage murderers. Each book is broken down into several chapters ("Master of Fear," "Privateer or Pirate?," "Morgan's End") complete with color illustrations and photographs. However, in some of the cases in which actors are used to portray the pirates, the captions read as though the photograph is of the actual historical figure. These books cannot compete with William Lubber's "Pirateology" (Candlewick, 2006) in terms of lively information, illustration, and a more appropriate view of the pirate hunter. No sources are cited. Though the books are informative (including some gory details), they are lacking in excitement for pure pleasure reading."Sarah O'Holla, Village Community School, New York City"
Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.