Bloody Jack 
by L.A. Meyer.  

Publisher: Turtleback
Year: 2004
ISBN: 978-0613716406

Genre: Fiction/Adventure

Themes: Pirates

Rating: Ages 11 and up 
Awards:  ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Booklist Editor's Choice 
AR Points: 11.0

Fantastic Book for older readers.  Great for boys or girls interested in adventure, pirates and historical fiction.   

Text of Video: Welcome everyone.  Today’s video is all about the novel Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer.  The description on the cover says “being an account of the curious adventures of Mary Jacky Faber, Ship’s Boy.  Mary Faber is the daughter of a school teacher who has come to London to teach.  When his position falls through and the family takes ill, everyone dies except Mary.   Orphaned and alone, Mary is forced out on the streets and is taken in by a gang of street children.  Mary and the gang live on the streets.  They beg for pennies and food.  Sometimes Mary reads the news to the people in the streets and they make money that way.  When they have money, they buy a meat pie and share it between the gang.  When the leader of the gang, Charlie, is killed Mary discovers his body.  Heartbroken and crying, she steals his clothes and shiv.  She cuts her hair and dresses like a boy so she can join a ship’s crew and see the world.  Mary changes her name to Jacky and is accepted to the crew of the Dolphin because she can read.   She tells the crew she is a boy of 10 and bunks down with the 5 other ships boys near the cannons.  Jacky helps prepare the schoolroom for the midshipmen, and takes watch and does all the things the other ship’s boys do.  The British Naval ship the Dolphin travels to Palma and Jamaica in search of pirates, and treasure.  Jacky is growing up during this time and she has to hide the fact that she is becoming a woman.  She also has feelings for Jamie the young merchant’s boy who joined as a ship’s boy with her in London.  Jacky is worried about being thrown overboard when the crew finds out she is a girl, or worse being hanged.  How will Jacky ever share the truth and will she ever become a lady?

 If you love pirate tales, then you are going to love this book.  It has a sequel called Curse of the Blue tattoo.

Pirates Band of Misfits

The Pirates! 

Band of Misfits

Publisher: Aardman Animation          

Year: 2012

Media: Film   Rating: PG

Genre:  Adventure

Subjects/Themes:  Pirates,

Plot Summary:  After years of trying, the Pirate Captain has never won the Pirate of the Year Award.  He wants to enter the contest but is laughed at by the other pirates.  Despondent He is determined to win the prize.  After he attacks the ship of Charles Darwin, he is takes his band of pirates back to London and with his crew embark on an adventure where he learns to value friendship over fame.   

Review:  A silly film with sight gags galore to keep you giggling.  The movie is based on The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists by Gideon Defoe.  Best for younger audiences.  The stop motion animation is fantastic but the story may leave adults longing for something more.

If you like this film you may also like:  Flushed Away (2006), which was fantastic on so many levels, and Wallace & Gromit.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg 
by Rodman Pilbrick

Text from video: Welcome everyone.  This video is about the Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg,  written by Rodman Philbrick.  Homer and his older brother, Harold, are orphans under the care of their rotten Uncle Squinton Leach.  When Harold stops Uncle Squint from beating Homer, Uncle Squint sells Harold to the Union Army where he must serve three years or until he dies.  Homer knows that it was wrong to sell Harold because Harold is only seventeen, and not old enough to be sworn into the army. Homer is worried about Harold and wants to rescue Harold before he is killed in the war.  Homer leaves Uncle Squints farm and travels through Maine.  Where he meets slave catchers and scoundrels who steal his horse and make him stop at a house on the Underground Railroad.  Homer tricks the scoundrels and helps the slaves continue on their journey to freedom.    Mr. Brewster rewards Homer with a trip on a steamship to New York so he can find Harold.  While on the steamship Homer’s guardian is bamboozled and Homer is locked in the steerage with pigs.  Once in New York, Homer joins a traveling medicine show that follows the Union wagon trains.  Homer has one adventure after another and even ends up on a hot air balloon that takes him to a battle where he meets Coronel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.   Will Homer ever find Harold?  Will they serve the union army well?  Find out by reading The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Title:   The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Author:  Rodman Philbrick

Publisher: Scholastic  

Year: 2011 c 2009

ISBN:  978-0-439-66821-7

Genre: Fiction/Adventure/Historic

This book is for Ages: 9-14

Awards: Newbery Honor Book, ALA Notable Book.

AR Points: 7.0           

Subjects/Themes: Runaways, Orphans, Brother, Self Reliance, Family, Civil War

Plot Summary:  12-year-old Homer P. Figg runs away from his horrible uncle to rescue his brother Harold.  Harold was tricked into joining the union army.  Homer travels from Maine to Gettysburg hoping to free his brother and protect him from the dangers of war.  As Homer travels he meets, bandits, a Quaker, thieves and spies. The book is dedicated “To everyone whoever lied and found their way back to the truth”.  Homer is a boy like any other but his experiences are amazing. 

Review:  This book is a wild ride from beginning to end.  Homer’s tale will make you laugh.  It is an excellent read-aloud story you won’t want to put down. Homer struggles with right, wrong and telling the truth.  His story deals with serious issues like war and slavery from the point of view of a child.  Homer understands the dangers of war and is determined to save his brother.  Philbrick’s detailed descriptions bring this story to life.  I will miss Homer and his adventures.  I liked that the book includes a special section at the back with a recipe for Union hard tack and trivia about the Civil War.   

If you like this book you may also like:  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. 

American Presidents

American Presidents

Publisher:  Disney Educational Productions 2010

Genre: Non-Fiction American History

This DVD is for Ages: 8 - 14
ASIN: B0035CP4O2

Subjects/Themes:  American Presidents 1754-1861

Short Biographies of the first 11 American Presidents including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler and James K Polk are offered in an appealing and hip way.  The DVD includes interactive content to test your knowledge of the first 11 presidents, and their political philosophies.  This is a great resource to share with teachers.  This is a entertaining and informative dvd.

The Edge of the Sword by Rebecca Tingle

The Edge of the Sword

Author:  Rebecca Tingle

Publisher:  Scholastic

Year:  2001

ISBN:  0-439-41796-1

Genre: Fiction

This book is for Ages: 12 up

AR Points:      11.0

Subjects/Themes: Family Life, Marriage

Plot Summary:  Flaed is the 15-year-old daughter of the King.  She will be soon married to Alderman Ethelred.  She will leave the safety of her home and family to start a new life, but Flaed wants her freedom.  She wants to leave the watchful eyes of Red, the guard Ethelred has sent to keep her safe until the wedding.  Flaed plans and manages her escape right into the hands of kidnappers.  What will she do now?

Review:  Rebecca Tingle writes a historical novel based on real life strong female main character.  Unfortunately the relationships in just story just didn’t draw me in the way they should have.  While it is a good book it is not fantastic as I would have hoped.  If you like history and love to read, pick it up.  This book is not for reluctant readers.

Worth by A. LaFaye

Title:   Worth

Author:  A. La Faye

Publisher: Scholastic             Year:  2006 c2004

ISBN:  978-0439-91342-3

Genre: Historical Fiction

This book is for Ages: 9-12

Awards: Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction

 AR Points:     4.0

 Subjects/Themes: Family Life/Orphans/Frontier Life

Plot Summary:  11-year-old Nate is hurrying to help his father bring in the hay as a violent storm hits their farm.  A flash of lightning as bright as the sun changes Nate’s life forever.  Unable to help on the family farm Nate feels bad.  His Pa won’t even look at him.  When Pa adopts an orphan boy named John Worth, Nate feels unloved and useless.  What role can Nate have on the farm?  Worth is a city boy with no experience working a farm.  He is treated like a servant, and can’t seem to do anything right.  When the ranchers and farmers start feuding, tensions are high as sabotage damages the family farm.  Can the boys work together to save their farm and create a family where they both belong? 

Review:  Nate and his family have trouble accepting his replacement and new brother.  Worth is an interesting and exciting story about life on the frontier in the late 1800’s including: immigrants, and range feuds.  The book has an exciting climax.  That will leave you wanting more. 

If you like this book you may also like:  The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan.

Shiloh by Phyliss Reynolds Naylor

Title:  Shiloh

Author:  Phylllis Reynolds Naylor

Publisher:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers     Year:  2000

ISBN:  978-0-689-31614-2

Genre: Fiction/Realistic

This book is for Ages: 10 - 14

Awards:  Newbery Medal

AR Points: 4.0

Series:   Shiloh

Subjects/Themes: Dogs/West Virginia/Trust/Small Towns

Plot Summary:  11-year-old Marty is out for a walk practicing shooting when a young beagle begins following him.  The beagle is so thin you can see his ribs, and he has tics.  When the beagle follows Marty home, Marty decides to call him Shiloh.  Judd Travers is Marty’s ill-tempered neighbor; he kicks his dogs and shoots deer out of season.  Shiloh is Judd’s dog.  Marty’s father makes him return Shiloh even though Marty is sure Shiloh is unhappy and abused by Travers.  When Shiloh runs away again Marty must choose between right and wrong.  Is it right to take the dog back to Judd when he thinks it is being abused?  Is it wrong to keep the dog and lie to his mama and papa?  What is Marty going to do?

Review:   Marty is a good boy.  He cares for his little sisters; he loves his mother and respects his father.  He is faced with a tough question about right and wrong when he finds Shiloh.  Judd is mean, but Naylor gives us enough of a glimpse into his life to make us wonder what abuses he has suffered. Naylor’s description of Marty’s relationship with Shiloh is pure puppy love. Shiloh will warm your heart.

If you like this book you may also like: Shiloh Season, and Saving Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor or Old Yeller by Fred Gipson.

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson

Title:   Old Yeller

Author:  Fred Gipson

Publisher: Scholastic Year:  c1956

ISBN:  0-38-439-15963-6

Genre: Fiction/Historical

This book is for Ages: 8-14

Awards: Newbery Honor Book        

 Subjects/Themes: Frontier-life/Dogs

Plot Summary:   14-year-old Travis is in charge of taking care of his family farm while Papa is on a 600-mile cattle drive to Abilene.  The day after Papa leaves a “big yeller dog” shows up at the family farm. The dog had eaten the last of the family’s meat.  Travis cannot stand the dog, but when Travis’ five-year-old brother Little Arliss meets old yeller they have an instant bond.  Travis must put up with Arliss and old yeller into mischief and making his work around the farm harder.  Travis soon learns that Old Yeller is a good hunting dog.  When Old Yeller saves Arliss from an angry mama bear Travis realizes Old Yeller will do anything to protect the family.

Review:  Old Yeller is a good story with lots of action.   Gipson describes the busy life on the farm in the Texas frontier including, hunting and chores in a captivating book you won’t want to put down.  Travis is a strong character who takes his role as provider seriously.  Old Yeller is a lovable rascal and an excellent story for dog lovers everywhere.

If you like this book you may also like:  Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls; Old Yeller (VHS or DVD) Disney; Hatchet, Gary Paulsen

Bud, Not Buddy by Christoper Paul Curtis

Title:   Bud, Not Buddy

Author:  Christopher Paul Curtis

Publisher: Scholastic Year:  2002 c

ISBN:  0-439-22188-9

Genre: Fiction/Adventure/Historical

This book is for Ages: 8-12

Awards: Newbery Medal; Coretta Scott King Award

AR Points:  8.0 

Subjects/Themes: Family, Finding Your Place in the World,

Plot Summary:  After his mother’s death, Bud Caldwell is shuffled from the orphanage to foster home after foster home.  He finally has his fill of the cruel treatment and abuse.  Bud decides to go “on the lam.”  First he decides to “ride the rails.”   When Bud decides to go to Grand Rapids to find his father he meets a strange man who might be a vampire.  Bud also gets to hear Jazz music when he gets to the club of Herman E. Calloway.  Calloway says he is not Bud’s father and wants to send him away.  Will Bud ever find his family?

Review:  This is a great story.  Bud’s rules and things to remember help him to get through the rough spots in his world.  Bud is ingenious.  His character has all the fears of a 10-year-old on the run.  Bud is courageous.  He takes his control over his life.  While Bud cannot drive a car, he finds a way to steer himself on the right path.   Christopher Paul Curtis’ detailed descriptions are as delicious as sweet potato pie with whipped cream.

If you like this book you may also like:  Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis and Esperanza Rising