Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World


By Jane Yolen
Illustrated by Christine Joy Pratt
Most enjoyed by 4th through 8th graders

Pirate fans rejoice! The gals get their due! As author Jane Yolen points out in 'Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World', pirates weren't just men. There were a few ladies throughout history that grabbed a cutlass and donned breeches in search of booty. This excellent book brings those ladies to life.

The opening chapter gives a brief history of pirating and pirates. The remaining 12 chapters offer the stories of 13 female pirates, beginning with Artemesia in 500 BC and ending with Madame Ching in 19th century China. From around the globe, these women committed acts of piracy as daring as the guys. But how much of these stories are true? Yolen does a nice job of sorting fact from fiction, and what remains is still pretty swashbuckling.
If pirate movies leave you wanting more, come in and check out 'Sea Queens'. It's just the right dose of salty sea story for free time reading!


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