The Buccaneers' Code

The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #3

by Caroline Carlson

When Miss Pimm, Enchantress of the Northlands, decides to retire, she enlists young Hilary Westfield to gather a band of scallywags and prepare to challenge Captain Blacktooth in an all-out battle for the presidency of the League in order to save the kingdom.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure, Audiobook, Pirates, Humor, Fiction

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2015

About the author

Caroline Carlson is the author of funny and fantastical books for young readers, including The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates trilogy, The World’s Greatest Detective, and The Door at the End of the World. Her novels have won accolades from the New York Times, the American Booksellers Association, Bank Street College of Education, the American Library Association, and Junior Library Guild, among others.

Caroline holds a BA from Swarthmore College and an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College of Fine Arts. A Massachusetts native, she now lives in Pittsburgh with her family. You can visit her online at http://carolinecarlsonbooks.com.

Reviews

[ella nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

good childhood book

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilary Westfield takes on Captain Blacktooth one last time, this time for leadership of the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates. However, there is much more at stake since the Mutineers are plotting once again to take over the kingdom, and this fight might be the only way to stop them. But can Hilary rustle up any kind of pirate crew for the battle?

While I knew the broad outline of the story early on, I had a wonderful time getting to the end. The characters are charming, and the plot moves quickly with a few surprises along the way. I could hardly put the book down. I also loved the humor of the book. I’m sorry to see this series end, but I’m so glad I found it.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this series. My kids & I had a very good time reading all 3 of these books. And yes, my 6-year-old daughter found a golden crochet hook at Michael's & now frequently carries it around the house (tucked into her pony tail or behind her ear) just in case there are any rogue scallywags that need to be dealt with.

My only disappointment is that it's over. I thought this was a very good finale for the series. I have to say... I'd be very excited for a story or 2 about the VNHLP with Hilary as the President. I'm sure the crew could find another adventure on the high seas.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great ending to a consistently excellent series. Somehow Sarah and I had read the first (2?) entries years ago but didn't get to this one (maybe it didn't exist?). Nevertheless, I enjoyed this quite a bit and I think it's a great contribution to the community-of-weirdos-take-care-of-your-people genre that middle-grade books often work in. Hilary is a really good protagonist, and Carlson does a lot of work with dramatic irony with her, making sure the reader knows what's going on even if Hilary doesn't or won't say it.

The portrayal of pirates in these books is fascinating. I kept trying to lay real-life groups on top of the pirates, but there isn't a perfect analogy. Deeply invested in protocols and rules while at the same time insisting on the necessity to break protocols and rules, ostensibly criminals but understood to be an important piece of the cultural system, as well as talking a big game of violence, but mostly being gentle doofuses that are confused when they might have to actually hurt someone, the pirate system is probably the most original genre contribution in the books.

High recommendations for the whole series.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful end to a delightful series. We re-read the first two books in this trilogy aloud to our kid, and I was not sad at all to hear them again. An extra delight that we hadn't EVER read the final book, so that was all new. I think it is rare that an author writes three good books in a trilogy. Usually one of them somewhere in the sequence is a biff. Not so of the VNHLP. Hilary, the gargoyle, and all her friends find a happy ending that is both surprising in its twists and turns and wholly satisfying.

[BookishStitcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids absolutely loved this trilogy! We listened to it in the car everywhere we went together. Yay, for our public libraries and their Libby catalog.

[Mimi 'Pans' Herondale · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my fave middle grade books! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤💚💚💚💚💚💕

[Erick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great finish to the series...that is if Scourge of the Paperbacks Caroline Carlson chooses to end it here. The book did everything I hoped for and still had a bit of a surprise finish. I pegged a bit of what was going to happen. Yet I was still surprised by the twists and turns that Carlson added. The characters she has are all so fun and easy to enjoy. I couldn't wait to read it and am certain that I will read it again!

[Merin · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are so much fun! This was a really entertaining end to the series. Hilary remains stubborn, determined, and a wonderful narrator. I also enjoyed the colorful cast of supporting characters, and the humor apparent on each page. If you like middle grade, do give this series a read!

Full review to come soon.

[Anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooooo fun! This series is freaking delightful and the third is a fantastic addition. More friends, more shenanigans, more magic!

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great conclusion if the series only ends up being a trilogy. I am satisfied with the ending. I like the theme of fear and bravery in this book. The author had some great thoughts on the subjects. I continue to like the mesh of high society and pirates. There is a great mesh of the two happening. I like that this series gives us the pirate flavor without all the gore and lesser values. These are good people even if they are high society and pirates (two groups that are normally villainized in books). It helps us to not be so prejudice hopefully. I like that this book breaks boxes that people can be put into. I love this found family so much and will miss these characters. The narrator is one of my favorites. Her voices crack me up. Another great entertaining read for the whole family.

SPOILERS and book notes:
In this book Hillary has to gather 200 pirates so she can face off Blacktooth and take over as the leader of the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates. and the pirates are too scared to face off against Blacktooth (even though he ain’t honorable) so she recruits her high society girls! Charlie helps train them! And is trying to get used to magic by having a magic coin in his pocket. Inspired by his friend Claire hehe. Yeah Nicholas finally was brave enough to leave the mutineers!!! He wants to join their team. I knew he wanted to the whole time. He just needed bravery! But Oliver is with the mutineers along with the admiral out of prison. Booooo. The League isn’t what makes a person a pirate. Anyone can be a pirate! Even finishing school girls, gargoyles, and water ballet performers! Now even Hillary’s mom and her high society friends have joined Hillary’s crew! Both Blacktooth and her crew have fear, but the difference is Blacktooth crew is fighting bc they are afraid. Afraid to stand up for what they know is honorable and Hillary crew is fighting in spite of their fears. They are facing their fears and fighting for what they believe in! That makes hilllarys pirates the bravest pirates she knows! Nicholas saved them from the admiral! Bc he is a pirate now! Blacktooth made a replica of the pigeon and framed them with attacking the queen. The scene where Hillary asks a protective magic from the gargoyle but it’s too much for her so Charlie, Claire, miss Greyson, and fletcher come and hold it the gargoyle and take some magic too reminds me of the scene at the end of guardians of the galaxy! So epic! Aww Charlie didn’t mind being squished up against Claire in the carriage hehe. It wraps up pretty well in this book with Hillary being leader of the Very Nearly Honorable League of pirates and her dad in prison along with Filamina and her mom. Nicholas came in clutch. And broke off his engagement with Filamina. I totally ship him and Hillary. Claire is the new enchantress and Charlie is the scourge of the northlands. miss Greyson and fletcher have their floating book shop! And the gargoyle is with Hillary on her own ship. She has her mates too! A hilarious part is when Claire used magic to stop the cannon balls from coming at them and accidentally turned them into chickens.

[Cwdavenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my new favorite series. I have loved Harry Potter for so long, but my 6 year old does not want me to read it to them. I started looking for books that I can read with my son. This series is one I think he will enjoy. I absolutely loved it. I bought it on audible and I absolutely love Katherine Kellgren's performance.
This series is about a little girl that wants to be a pirate. There is magic and lots of action. I love how well the characters are written. I laughed so much at Hillary ( the little girl pirate ). I have been recommend this book to my friends that have little girls. There is so much adventure in this series. I am currently reading another series to my 6 year old son, but I think this series will get read to my other son that is 3 in another 2 years. Pirates, treasure, lots of pirate talk, very clean. I cannot say enough about how fun and refreshing this series is.

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the newspapers announce that the Terror of the Southlands will be challenging the leader of the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, no one is more surprised than Hilary. But for the sake of her friends, she'll go through with it. Secret alliances and society ladies. Floating libraries and fifth editions. Ulterior motives and underhanded methods. Successors and successes.

A satisfying finish to Carlson's trilogy, which maintains a pleasing blend of cheeky humor and situational comedy. I love it when ridiculous situations are played straight enough to seem plausible (magical golden gravy boats and pirate ships with daffodils in cozy window boxes). In the midst of treachery and double-dealing, Hilary is forced to decide what it means to be Very Nearly Honorable. She takes a stand, and she will not stand alone.

Definitely a favorite trilogy, which I've added to my home shelf.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last in the trilogy about pirate Hilary Westfield and her amazing friends. None of my silly romances happened but in my mind they all happen post book.

The mutineers are in full swing and they aren't just after the Enchantress, they are after the whole kit and kaboodle. The Enchantress and Claire put an ad that Hilary was challenging Blacktooth for the presidency of the V.N.H.L.P. Once Hillary agrees she finds out she has to collect 200 supporters to fight with her. This is very difficult because all of the pirates are afraid of Blacktooth. Personally I'd be more afraid of his sister.

The whole book is very funny and heartwarming just like the two before it. The ending is five stars perfect.

[Blanca Urbieta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I say Hilary and the gargoyle have come a long way from book one. Now she is the leader of the VNHLP and the gargoyle is safe and happy with his best friend by his side.
This book really did it for me. I am happy that all the Mutineers get what they deserve. Especially her father because God knows I can't stand that man.

Caroline does great work with ending the kingdom's troubles in a suspenseful manner that I was sad to say that this was the last book.

I will miss that lovely gargoyle and his noble heart.

[Zaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice conclusion to a good series, but an average story.

Once again, it was pleasant to spend time with the young pirate girl and her friends, but I found the story too much far-fetched. It's nice to see kids have their own magical adventure and some are good heroes, but fighting against adults to become the boss was too much unbelievable for me in this setting and it wasn't an interesting goal. The humor was less present this time and the story was less entertaining, so the read was overall average, but the book concluded nicely the series.

[JS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun series. The kids and I all listened to the audiobooks of all three (read by the amazing Katherine Kellgren). It's charming and delightful and also has a few good lessons along the way about friendship and sticking up for what's right. But also lots and lots of fun ridiculousness.

There's something really humorous about the VNHLP and all their rules and regulations and such--ah, the bureaucracy. A fun recommendation for lovers of middle grade fantasy.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Buccaneers' Code is the conclusion to The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. Carlson's writing is still charming, of course, but some inconsistencies in the plot make this installment not my favorite. I also think the cast has simply gotten too large for any one character to get enough character development. Still, though, I've enjoyed my time in the kingdom of Augusta, and would definitely recommend this series to MG fans!

[Chloë Mali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book (or rather, this entire trilogy), is absolutely delightful. It’s full of quirky magic, loveable characters, and quite a lot of funny bits. I truly enjoyed these books when I was in middle school, and I truly enjoy them still. Hilary is a wonderful heroine, and her companions (especially the Gargoyle) are just as good. I love the message of loyalty and bravery that these books (especially this one) present, and I have a feeling that I’ll be rereading them again very soon.

[Jazlyn Unbedacht · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this series, but this third book left a little to be desired. The characters didn't feel deep and I wasn't that attached to them. As a character, Hillary didn't develop much. Everything is so absolutely silly that the gravity of certain situations seems glossed over.
Other than that, this is a rollicking tale for the right to ten year old reader.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thrilling conclusion to the VNHLP series! Hilary takes on the pirate league president and finds herself in more trouble than ever. I was on the edge of my seat with the final unexpected plot twists. I can see another series when Hilary, Claire, and Charles are a few years older. Great fun, especially if you enjoy Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took us a long time to finish (because we had to keep putting it on hold to read it again), but we finally made it through. I grew to really love the whimsy of the world and how ridiculous all the situations were, even though the plot remained shallow, perhaps because its target audience is middle-grade readers. Overall, this was a good series.

[Kasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are very cute and Hillary is a very wholesome and respectable hero who never forgets her friends (or mates). My kids loved this series and this final book was a lot of fun. I highly recommend the audiobook a great way to listen as a family.

[Tabitha Driver · Rating 3 out of 5]

This lived up to the previous two books humor and charms.

I was disappointed that the final Buccaneers' Code wasn't more reflective of the plot when it'd had a big buildup and was the title of the book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this one, and there were fun new characters and plot twists. I still think the serving was my favorite. Obviously, I’m not the target audience, but it’s what I would consider great without being amazing.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the others were stronger reads, it felt like we were running out of steam on reading this one. P still loved the series, but the first two were better.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series! I hope she continues to write more. It especially comes alive listening to the audible narrator. Fun for all ages.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot starts to slip in this last installment, but the perpetual charm of this series carries it through. I think most young readers would enjoy it immensely.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audiobook is amazing.

[Selah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely funny book, made even more hilarious by the brilliant Katherine Kellgren!