Pirates!: The True and Remarkable Adventures of Minerva Sharpe and Nancy Kington, Female Pirates by Celia Rees

Pirates!: The True and Remarkable Adventures of Minerva Sharpe and Nancy Kington, Female Pirates by Celia Rees

Rees, Celia. Pirates!: The True and Remarkable Adventures of Minerva Sharpe and Nancy Kington, Female Pirates. Bloomsbury, 2003. 379 pages. $16.95. ISBN 1582348162

Plot Summary: Nancy Kington’s life is turned upside down when her father dies and she is sent to Jamaica to live on the family plantation. Not only is she told she is to marry a man she despises but she is heartbroken by they way the slaves are treated. To escape the arranged marriage and the cruelty of the plantation, Nancy and her friend Minerva, a slave, run away. They find themselves on a pirate ship and soon take their roles among the pirates. Minerva seems best adapted to the pirate life, but Nancy is concerned about her true love and childhood friend, now a Navy officer and every pirate’s enemy. As the reader follows the twist and turns, it would seem that Nancy and Minerva are not just connected by their friendship and swashbuckling ways. The story is full of pirate induced gore, chases on the high seas, and a glimpse into the horrors of both piracy and slavery in the eighteenth century.

Critical Evaluation: Rees creates a unique tale in Pirates, with the decision of the characters to flee their horrible circumstances and become pirates. I’ve heard that there were actually female pirates, but never thought about how a woman would get into such a trade. The situations of Nancy and Minerva, before their escape into piracy, were maddening, mostly because I knew that women were treated this way at one point. When the two girls become pirates and create this tough female persona, I was happy for this small victory for women even though I doubt many women of their time were able to escape like they were. The brutal details of both their lives before and after they ran away make this book suitable for older teens. I felt Rees did a great job creating a believable story with the right mixture of adventure, violence, friendship and love.

Reading Level: This book would be best suited for older teens, ages fifteen to eighteen.

Book talk ideas: After reading a selection from the book I would talk about the strong women Nancy and Minerva portray and it isn’t everyday we read about female pirates. I would also discuss realities of the slave trade.

Why it is included: I chose this book because I had read it before and loved it. I loved the idea of two teenage girls leaving their unhappy lives to become pirates. It is also on several best book lists, won the Thumbs Up! Award in 2004, and won several state given awards.

Challenge issues: The graphic nature of several situations in the novel could be controversial. Again, I would argue the truth behind the story and that it is stories like these that make us appreciate where we are today.

Sovay by Celia Rees

Sovay by Celia Rees

Rees, Celia. Sovay. Bloomsbury, 2008. 404 pages. $16.99. ISBN 1599902036

Readers Annotation: During the French Revolution, British girl Sovay goes on a quest to find her missing father and brother who were last known to be in France. Among the things she does find are love and the horrors of a revolution.

Plot Summary: To get back at a former suitor for cheating on her, Sovay decides to ambush his coach and rob him as a test of his true feelings for her. She not only learns that he isn’t the gentleman she thought he was, but that being a highwayman is exciting. Soon however she discovers that her father is missing and her brother never returned to university. Sovay uses her new skills as a highwayman to gather information and finds the unlikely companionship of another, true highwayman. She then teams up with her childhood friend Gabriel and an American spy to find her father and brother. Their quest leads them to France in the midst of the revolution. More connections are made and leads followed which bring her closer to her father and brother and in the end lead her to love.

Critical Evaluation: From beginning to end I was in love with the character of Sovay. The way she takes matters into her own hands is empowering. Although she doesn’t go into much detail about the other characters, she develops Sovay well. Although I wanted her to find her father and brother I ended up being most concerned with all the other men in her life and how those relationships would end up. It was very interesting to learn about the French Revolution through the eyes of an English woman, and a glimpse of how an American reacted to it as well. I felt that, as with Pirates!, Rees created a well-rounded story with just the right amount of adventure, hardship and romance.

Genre: Adventure, Romance, Historical Fiction

Age Level: This book would be suitable for teens ages fourteen and up.

Book talk ideas: I would read the first chapter and discuss the lengths Sovay went to in order to test her suitor. I would compare this to how people test and get revenge on their boyfriends and girlfriends today and ask them to give examples of things they’ve done or heard of. I would suggest The Red Necklace for another book set during the French Revolution, but also Rees’s other novels.

Why it is included: I chose this book because I was intrigued by a teenage girl becoming a highwayman and wanted to read more by Rees. The novel was honored by Publisher’s Weekly and was a nominee for the 2008 Cybils Young Adult Novels award.

The reckless nature of Sovay could cause some concern among parents who think this book could inspire other teen girls to start a life of crime. I would argue that the focus is not that she is a thief but that she is in the midst of the French Revolution and trying desperately to find her family before it is too late.