Gr. 3-6. In 1716, nine-year-old Jake Carpenter sets sail to see the world, hoping for adventure. High seas life is challenging, sometimes exciting, but when the ship and crew are captured by pirates, Jake experiences life in the pirate lane--a wild ride filled with thrills, danger, and even a few life lessons. The author-illustrator team that created Castle Diary (1999) again imparts a wealth of information in an entertaining, historical-fiction diary format. Jake's lively narrative, with archaic flavor, provides detailed, often humorous descriptions of events and characters to produce a well-rounded account of eighteenth-century shipboard life. Colorful, dynamic watercolor-and-ink illustrations, story, and information are combined in an oversize, reader-friendly format, and there's plenty of detail--from dramatic spreads of the pirate raid to an unexpected storm. Endnotes provide a good overview of colony life, pirate history, and famous pirates. Source notes and a glossary are appended. --Shelle Rosenfeld

Gr 4-7-This oversized book follows the same format as Platt's Castle Diary (Candlewick, 1999). Here, young Jake Carpenter leaves home in 1716 and becomes involved in an adventure in piracy. His detailed journal entries provide many colorful stories of life on the high seas. There are whippings, threats of death, and maggot-enriched food. A crewmate's leg is shattered during a battle and later amputated, and there is a burial at sea. The boy's uncle (and crewmate) is cast out in a small boat with little hope of survival, and the ship's captain is marooned on a deserted island. Myriad ink-and-watercolor illustrations help illuminate the dramatic events. In one double-page picture, the ship Greyhound is seen in labeled cross-section; another depicts a huge wave sweeping over the deck, and there are two action-packed scenes of pirate attacks. A clear map at the back pinpoints where the story takes place. Although fiction, much of the book is based on fact, as explained in the appended notes. There's also a short history of piracy and mention of infamous rogues. Kids looking for adventure will certainly find plenty of it here.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In a profusely illustrated oversize volume, Jake joins the crew of the [cf2]Greyhound[cf1] in 1716; the ship is later overtaken by pirates. As the vessel sails from North Carolina to the Indies, Jake records experiences ranging from assisting in an amputation to riding out a storm. The color artwork teems with action and Dickensian sea characters. A lengthy historical note concludes the volume. Bib., glos., ind. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The duo behind Castle Diary returns with a swashbuckling sortie into pirate waters. Set in 1716, the tale unfolds through the diary entries of a nine-year-old North Carolina lad who goes to sea with his uncle. Young Jake's excitement dims when wicked Captain Nick exacts a cruel penalty for clumsiness (Jake accidentally drops a bucket overboard), flogging his Uncle Will in Jake's stead and setting him adrift. The tables are turned, however, when pirates capture the ship and abandon Captain Nick on an island. Jake and his shipmates take up with their captors, and there are adventures aplenty, including a mermaid sighting, a storm, a raid on a Spanish camp and an eventual reunion with Will. With seeming effortlessness, Platt weaves vast quantities of nautical information into a text as lively as it is absorbing ("In pirates' slang there are one hundred words for `drunk' and just one for `sober' "). While he does not romanticize piracy, the author displays a keen eye for the sort of gorier details that young buccaneers will relish, e.g., the primitive surgery performed by the ship's carpenter. Making exuberant use of the oversize format, Riddell's illustrations include spot illustrations, dramatic full-page and full-spread scenes and a detailed cutaway view of the ship. With their verve and puckish humor, they easily transport readers to high times on the high seas. Ages 9-13. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved