Most kids like pirates, and everyone has a book, movie or a tv show that made these soldiers of the seas cool in their eyes. For some it was J. M. Barry's Peter Pan or any of it's numerous adaptations, for some it was the Pirates of the Carribean franchise, for others it was Robert Louis Stephenson's Treasure island. Whilst I was familiar with all of the afframentioned books and movies, this book is what made pirates interesting to me. Whilst some of it's aspects are clearly overly simplyfied and fictionalized (like the whole X marks the spot myth perpetuated by modern day children's pirate fiction). This book's visuals are probably the most grounded. Now, let's be honest here, that doesn't make them any less stunning. As with Wizardology I really wish I could hang some on the wall as posters.
It's an action packed and exciting journal of William Lubber, a captain of the ship The Sea Cat, who sailed the seven seas attempting to track down and bring to justice the vicious female pirate Arabella Drummond, getting into all sorts of violent brawls and tropical exploits across all seven seas. This is a really fun book if you're interested in naval history of 1700's and whilst it isn't entirely factually accurate, it's a pretty adrenaline inducing read nonetheless, guaranteed to interest pirate fans everywhere. It also features some brief clever nods to previous books in the series, bringing a smile to the face to any and all long-time fans.