Pirate Books -- Kid Lit

Pirate Book Reviews! These are samples of books I am making available to the kids in my March Break program.

Series Information
Allison Lassieur and Liam O'Donnell. The Real World of Pirates. Mankato, Minnesota: Edge Books, 2007.

My Review
Take a trip back to the Golden Age of Piracy and learn about what it took to become a pirate back in the 1700s. From pirate gear to pirate treasure, this series of short books describes pirate life using clear vocabulary and vivid illustrations. In addition, each book is sprinkled with trivia facts about pirates. Did you know that Blackbeard wove hemp into his hair and lit it on fire to frighten his enemy? Great for nonfiction-loving reluctant readers.

Book Titles

The History of Pirates: From Pirateers to Outlaws
The Pirate Code: Life of a Pirate
Pirate Gear: Cannons, Swords and the Jolly Roger
Pirate Hideouts: Secret Spots and Shelters
Pirate Ships: Sailing the High Seas
Pirate Treasure: Stolen Riches

Book Information
Lock, Deborah. Pirate. DK Publishing, 2005.

My Review
In the tradition of DK books, opening this book is like having a museum in print format. It's filled with pirate information in bite-sized facts, with many informative photographs of pirate artefacts.


Book Information
Havercroft, Elizabeth. A Year On a Pirate Ship.  Minneapolis, MN: Orpheus Books Ltd, 2008.

My Review
This book discusses pirates in more of a story format, with some "Where's Waldo?" style item-finding throughout the book. Not a book to work with if you need solid facts, like dates and/or names.

National Geographic Concise History of Science and Invention

Book Information
National Geographic. National Geographic Concise History of Science and Invention: An Illustrated Timeline. Washington, D.C.:National Geographic, 2009.

My Review
This highly entertaining and informative book has something for everyone. It's full of quick facts for fast readers, and there are many in-depth articles for amateur historians and scientists. Large glossy photos of extraordinary images (including bacteria, early planes and original automobiles) are found throughout the book. This book is an excellent choice for a casual flip-through or for a thorough read.

My Notes
The timeline's only obvious fault is that the section dedicated to North American events skips the birth of Canada in 1867.

Department Stores by Claire Masset

Department Stores by Claire Masset. Shire Publications, 2010.

For those who enjoy shopping, this is a slim history on the development of department stores in Britain. Readers can breezily flip through the many pages filled with historical photographs and early advertisements. To quote the famous Henry Selfridge, this book demonstrates that a department store is a "social centre, not a shop."

It now seems funny that Harrods, after installing its first escalator, offered smelling salts to help customers recover from the ride. How lifestyles have changed over the past hundred years! And what an enjoyable, colourful trip through the past!

Liked this one?
Check out The Victorian Hospital for more British history in a slim, quick book.

My Notes

Readers might get a good laugh from an early Harrods ad, proclaiming it to be one of the cheapest stores in town! I would like to add that the font size in this book is quite small.

The Victorian Hospital

The Victorian Hospital by Lavinia Mitton.

Social history meets medical history in Lavinia Mitton’s The Victorian Hospital. What tremendous advances that the health care industry has experienced in 200 short years! This book gives a general overview of Victorian hospital practices, and is filled with a variety of interesting information. In the early 1800s, British hospitals were staffed by volunteer doctors. Instead of having specialty hospital departments, specialist hospitals were created to target specific diseases and body parts, including fevers and eye health. This glossy slim book is filled with photographs of Victorian medical ads and other hospital-related images, and is a great read for any history buffs.

Mitton, Lavinia. (2008). The Victorian Hospital. Oxford: Shire Books.

My Notes

I picked this book up for a variety of reasons. First: I am a history buff. Also, before I decided to become a librarian, I had briefly thought about studying medicine. Finally, I visited the Florence Nightingale Museum in London this summer, and when I saw that there was a section in the book dedicated to nursing, I knew I had to give it a look!

Talking About Detective Fiction

Book Information

P. D. James. Talking about Detective Fiction. Knopf, December 2009.

My review

When you are looking for a new read, do you often find yourself heading towards the mystery section? Are you interested in history? "Talking about Detective Fiction" by P.D. James (who wrote the Adam Dalgliesh mysteries) covers the highlights of the history of the English detective novel, from its beginnings in the 1700s and 1800s to recent mystery fiction, including the Inspector Morse novels. James analyses the novels in light of the social history that influenced the time in which they were written.

James' clear writing style, combined with the cartoons sprinkled throughout the book, make this a breezy, enjoyable read.


Personal Notes
I picked this book up for a several reasons. What grabbed my attention first was the format of the book. It's quite small, and with its large margins, I knew it would not be a difficult read. Most importantly, I enjoy reading mysteries. At this moment, my favourite mystery author is G. K. Chesterton (Fr. Brown mystery story anthologies), although I really enjoy Charlaine Harris too, since she writes real page-turners.

Read This Book Already?
Try The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale. It's about the gruesome Road Hill House murder that inspired the writings of both Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens.