Book: Pirates
Author: Celia Rees
Pages: 340
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Reviewed by: Whitney (age 15)
Amazon.com Price: $7.98
Purchase: Here

Nancy Kington is the pampered daughter of a rich merchant--until her father dies and she is left in the care of her stepmother and indifferent brothers. Then she is unwillingly thrust into a foreign world of slaves, arranged husbands, and virtual imprisonment. She is forced to abandon William, her unofficial betrothed, and become engaged to an enigmatic, cruel Brazilian planter in Jamaica. He gives her a ruby necklace and earrings to his future bride, who cannot know that wearing them will allow him to see her, wherever she is.

Made frantic by her current situation, especially after killing an overseer in defense of her 'slave' and best friend, Minerva, Nancy escapes from her plantation, and Minerva goes with her. The two, having no alternative, "go on the account"--or become pirates. Under a kind doctor-turned-pirate-captain named Broom, they travel the world by sea seeking treasure and fame on a ship well-named The Deliverance. They have many adventures and learn things they never could have guessed...but Nancy still has the ruby jewelry and knows that the Brazilian is seeking her still. And soon, she must face him in the inevitable final showdown. Pirates is both fascinating and educational--readers will find themselves learning much about life as a pirate in the 1700s. There is adventure, fantasy, mystery, suspense, drama--what more could you want in a read?