Review by Ibrahim, age 10, Oliver Goldsmith Primary School
It was interesting for me because as I read the book from chapter one to five it explained how life was like when pirates roamed the seven seas. It also explained the crimes and things that they did, like fighting from ship to ship and also how pirates got fortunes of gold as they ruled the seas. The book introduced a pirate named Black Beard. As I was reading, it explained all the things he did like psychologically tormenting people. For example, when he was sighted, he would stand motionless on the front of his boat and light fumes in his beard to make it look like a demon was coming towards you. Near the end of chapter ten the book was starting to tell how Black Beard died, in my head I was thinking he got a death sentence, but I was wrong, because the book said that while fighting a British ship, he got five gun shots and got slashed 25 times by a sword, then he died. The plot was exciting too because when I thought something would happen it was completely something else! There was one character who I didn’t like and his name was Captain James. As I read the chapter with him in it, it I found out he didn’t help his crew in battle; instead, he would mostly hide away like a coward. I would highly recommend this book to younger children if they are interested in pirates. It might enlighten people and explain how the past was when pirates where in charge.

Review by Auberon, 10, Coombe Dean School
I found that Innes was the most interesting character, as his contrast of light-heartedness and good will compared to the other ‘pirates’ made him stand out. The time it was set in was interesting as it showed the cutthroat nature of the era. The plot was an engaging mix of light-hearted to serious and exciting. However, I felt that the transition from mere traders to full blown pirates was rushed and could have been explored in more depth. Other than that, the plot was very well crafted and moreish. If I had to give this book a rating out of ten, I would give it a 9/10.