Pirates / C. Drew Lamm ; illustrated by Stacey Schuett.

It's a blustery night and Max wants to cuddle up with a cozy story. Something about cats would suit him. But his big sister, Ellery, has other ideas, and she decides to delve into the deliciously wicked story of the pirate Jose Gaspar. Together, Max and Ellery venture into Gaspar's creepy world, and Max doesn't like it one bit&mdashuntil he sneaks up behind Ellery and scares her into slamming the book shut! This hilarious and spooky book illustrates two of life's important lessons: never pick on your sensitive little brother, and always choose a nice story about cats when you're home alone.

Reviews (5)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 2-4-Ellery brings home library books to read to her younger brother, Max, but they are not the kind he wants at all-they're about pirates. He says, "They aren't very nice," and she responds, "They're vicious." Her sole intent is to scare the wits out of him. He wants to wait until morning to hear the story. She waits until it's dark. Then, in the den, she turns the lights down low, and reads by flashlight while sitting in a bay window. The story reads, "He buries his treasures in-." Max guesses, "Treasure chests." Ellery says, "Coffins." The story reads, "-in chests full of-" and Max guesses "Coins, silver, and gold," but Ellery says, "Diamond and ruby rings still attached to fingers." Finally, Max cleverly outsmarts her at her own game. The increasingly fearful expressions of the little boy are priceless as are the "cat-that-swallowed-the-canary" expression on Ellery's face. But the best is her self-realization just before she says, "I think I read too far." The rich color and texture of the larger-than-life pirates have the cinematic feel of a George Lucas film. This is a great read-aloud for a Halloween program, especially if it's a school sleepover, but don't expect anyone to sleep afterward.-Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

In Lamm's (The Prog Frince) spooky yet sprightly tale-within-a-tale, Ellery brings home a library book about pirates, which her brother Max suggests they read in the morning. But the spunky lass insists that they read it "tonight in the dark when we're alone." By flashlight, the girl reads to her terrified sibling the story of Gaspar, who "loots ships that hold treasure and murders anyone who tries to hold on to their gold." Repeatedly interrupting the story, Max attempts to divert its track onto more placid waters, while Ellery determinedly steers it back toward stormier seas. (e.g., " `He buries his treasures in...' `Treasure chests,' guessed Max. `Coffins,' said Ellery"). Peering through the window, Max observes that it might rain and proposes that they read something else, but the relentless Ellery shrugs off his suggestion: "Thunder'll probably crack the house open." Yet relent she does, in a light denouement that entails a droll role reversal. Though Schuett (Purple Mountain Majesties) sprinkles the artwork with skeletons, ravens and bug-eyed pirates, she infuses her pictures with humorous hyperbole more likely to amuse than frighten youngsters. Still, some kids may choose to heed Lamm's sly warning on the back flap: "Do not read this book right before bed or during wild storms." Others will happily snuff out the lamp and grab the flashlight. Ages 6-9. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Horn Book Review

On a dark and stormy night, young Max wants to read a story about cats, but Ellery insists on reading a ruthless pirate tale aloud, playing up the scary parts to maximize Max's fear. The pirate story features appropriately spooky elements but is drawn out too long, and Max's revenge on Ellery is predictable. The dark illustrations add atmosphere. From HORN BOOK Spring 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

An older sister's literary torment of her brother backfires in this spooky tale of pirates. Ellery has chosen a library book that she's sure will frighten young Max, who would rather read about cats than pirates. She maximizes the scare factor by waiting until dark to begin reading aloud with a flashlight. The text alternates between the italicized words of the library book and the action in the den, where the siblings are curled up in their sleeping bags. While Max tries to downplay each thing in the book, Ellery's interpretations are downright evil. Where Max sees the Spanish moss hanging from the trees as green tinsel, Ellery tells him that it's pirate's hair. The pelicans aren't stretching to catch raindrops in their bills-"They scream silent screams of pirate victims." But gradually Ellery's stories catch up with her. Will Max rescue her when the pirates step out of the book with their eye patches and hooks? Heh, heh, heh. Then she can go to the library and get that book about cats. Lamm (Prog Frince: A Mixed-Up Tale, 1999, etc.) has created two very creative children with wonderful imaginations. Schuett's (Fat Chance Thanksgiving, p. 1215, etc.) oil paintings masterfully show the two children (and their black cat) growing more and more frightened. These are interspersed with pirate scenes that, although spooky, also show a kind of dark humor. In a beach scene, crabs watch the pirate ship with eyes that poke out of the sand on stalks, and on the pirates' island, a skeleton keeps watch over the X that marks the spot. This is a tale best told at Halloween, but right any time a good scare is in order. (Picture book. 6-9)

Booklist Review

Ages 5-8. With a slight, predatory smile, young Ellery settles down to read a book about pirate JoseGaspar to her timorous little brother Max. With a wild storm rising outside, Max begs Ellery to pick another book, but she plows on with relish: "Gaspar picks his teeth with the bones of shipmates. He tears treasures from quivering girls' necks and yanks gold from old men's molars . . ." Purple shadows, and then ghostly ruffians, creep from the corners in Schuett's wonderfully atmospheric pictures, as Ellery reads on, her own eyes getting wider and wider. At just the right moment, a hook suddenly reaches out and knocks the book away. Ellery screams. But it's only Max, with an umbrella: "I'd rather read about cats." "Me too," says Ellery in relief. To help keep things clear, italics are used to distinguish what Ellery is reading from the ongoing conversations she's having with Max. This is sure to elicit plenty of jumpy responses from young listeners, plus delighted demands for repeat readings. It's every bit as spellbinding as Bill Martin Jr.'s classic Ghost Eye Tree (1985). --John Peters

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