The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates by Caroline Carlson - ESSENTIAL

Carlson, Caroline.  The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot, illustrations by Dave Phillips.  344 pages.  Harper, 2013.  Language: G.  Sexual Content: G.  Violence: PG (they are pirates after all). 

This book is definitely and entirely one of the most charming children’s books I’ve ever read.  Hilary Westfield wants to be a pirate.  She sends her application to The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates (VNHLP) but they deny her admission because she is a girl and forward her application onto Miss Pimm’s Finishing School for Delicate Ladies.  Hilary’s father, a Navy Admiral, insists she attend Miss Pimm’s.  So Hilary sets off for school with her old governess, Miss Greyson, and the magical gargoyle from the wall at home.  Meanwhile, magical objects are being stolen throughout the kingdom and a document was stolen from Hilary’s home.  Between fainting classes and a mean girl named Claire, Hilary decides to run away and become a freelance pirate.  She joins the pirate crew of Jasper Fletcher in search of the Enchantress’s gold.  Her old governess comes along with her gold crochet hook and proves that one can be both proper and piratey.  But they aren’t the only ones: Miss Pimm and her finishing girls are in hot pursuit as well as Admiral Westfield (Hilary’s father) or the royal navy.  The story is told by narrative, letters, and newspaper clippings.  An unforgettable adventure that no one should miss.

EL – ESSENTIAL.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.