The Handbook of Pirates
by Terry Deary

    THE HANDBOOK OF PIRATES by Terry Deary
    Illustrated by Martin Brown
    Category:  Non-Fiction
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  4/07
    Publisher:  Scholastic
    Reviewed by:  Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Pirates are a hot commodity these days (can you say Jack Sparrow??).  In this need-to-know generation, author
    Terry Deary has brought us THE HANDBOOK OF PIRATES, an easy-to-use, highly entertaining reference guide
    to all things pirates.

    There are several categories included:

    Lousy Legends and Lies
    Nasty Names
    Top Ten Putrid Pirates
    Perilous Pirate Timeline
    Lousy Loot
    Wicked Weapons
    Terrible Tactics
    Wicked Women Pirates
    Cutthroat Cruelties
    Rotten Rules
    Pirate Ships
    Pirate Losers
    Talk Like a Pirate
    Fly the Flags
    Foul Facts
    Pirate Punishments
    Dire Deaths

    I truly enjoyed the history behind the book's Top Ten Pirates, and found the Wicked Women Pirates section to be
    just as well-researched.  I also learned a thing or two -- that many pirates did, indeed, own parrots, and that
    "walking the plank" is most likely a myth (pirates found it much easier to chop you up and feed you to the sharks -
    why waste time slowing down so you could walk the plank?).

    THE HANDBOOK OF PIRATES also includes laugh-out-loud full-color illustrations and small comic strips,
    although some of them wouldn't be appropriate for children in elementary school.  Overall, this is a great book for
    pirate lovers, and one that would should be included in your pirate library.