Pirates and Privateers

Alex Morningside may be a boy, but she’s not. People just assume she is because of her haircut and her preference to be called Alex rather than Alexandra. She lives with her uncle, who deals in doorknobs, and attends the Wigpowder-Steele Academy, which is founded by a notorious pirate with the help of a philanthropist. Imagine Alex’s surprise when she discovers her gym teacher, who teaches his students how to fence, is none other than Wigpowder’s great-great-great grandson.

Steele keeps a portion of Wigpowder’s treasure in reserve for that man’s son, but Steele dies before he can tell anyone the location of the treasure. As a result, the Wigpowders and Steeles fight amongst themselves, each side hoping they will find the pirate booty first. Mr. Underhill, Alex’s teacher, has come to locate his ancestor’s legacy, but he’s not the only one searching for it.

First, there are the five old ladies of the Daughters of the Founding Fathers’ Preservation Society who oversee the Steele Estate. They’re a strange group with odd tendencies who seem to feel Alex should kowtow to their wishes once she violates the rules and enters restricted parts of the mansion in search of the treasure map. Then there is the sinister trio of men who invade her home, kill her uncle, and kidnap Mr. Underhill.

Alex knows where the treasure is buried, but first she must rescue Mr. Underhill. But how? That’s the quandary she faces and with some guidance from a nice policewoman – not the bullying detectives – Alex takes the train to Port Cullis. This simple suggestion leads her on a wild, quirky adventure where she must use her intellect to get her out of abnormal circumstances long before she ever reaches the coast and finds a way to track down the kidnappers.

Any number of words may describe this book, but quirky best suits. From the Not-Quite-First Chapter to the Last Chapter, Kress keeps pirate apprentices spellbound with a train that goes nowhere, a refrigerator that talks, a hotel manager who thinks his orders instead of speaking them, and the cruel pirate who captains Ironic Gentleman. Readers are immediately swept into the story as the tale unfolds in second person viewpoint and the narrator constantly takes the reader into his confidence when likening Alex’s situation to a similar one the reader may have faced. This book is the perfect example of the ingredients of a witch’s brew that is sure to delight pirate apprentices searching for a tale that strays outside the norm.

Review Copyright ©2009 Cindy Vallar




Timothy and the Dragon's Gate
by Adrienne Kress
Weinstein Books, 2008, 978-1-60286-023-0, US $16.95

If Timothy Freshwater has ordinary parents, he will be in hot water because he’s now been expelled from every school in the city. It’s not that he tries to get into trouble, but when the teachers are intimidated by a student who’s smarter than they are, even the littlest misstep can be costly. His mother, an actress, is always out of town, so discipline is left to Timothy’s dad, who hasn’t a clue as to how to control the lad.

Since Timothy can no longer attend school, he has to accompany Mr. Freshwater to work everyday. That seems like a simple and easy fix to the problem, but Timothy is soon bored and gets into trouble. His curiosity lands him in the CEO’s office, where he becomes Evan Bore’s assistant tasked with helping Mr. Bore make friends. During this time, he makes the acquaintance of Mr. Shen, “a small Chinese man with white hair.”

But Mr. Shen isn’t small. Nor is he a man with white hair. He’s really a dragon. One thousand years ago he is a naughty dragon who is punished. He loses most of his powers and has to become a human, forced to serve whoever possesses the golden key. The only way he can resume his true form is to scale the Dragon’s Gate before the end of the 125th year of the dragon.

When Timothy’s dad goes out of town on business, Timothy becomes the guest of Sir Bazalgette Bazalgette, a respected architect who rarely steps outside his house. Bazalgette is also Mr. Shen’s friend, and the two persuade Timothy to convince Evan Bore to willingly turnover the golden key to him. Then Timothy will hand it over to Bazalgette.

Once Timothy has possession of the key, the adventure truly begins. He keeps the key to help Mr. Shen himself. The path to the Dragon’s Gate is fraught with peril – sinister black taxi cabs, a jealous actor, a deadly ninja, a mysterious casino owner, the Man in the Beige Suit, and the pirate Fleet of the Nine Dragons.

Whimsical and quirky, this adventure has as many twists and turns as a Chinese dragon. Timothy goes from a self-centered boy who can’t rely on anyone to one who opens his heart and accepts help from others. Readers meet many new characters, as well as some favorites from Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. Written in the same style as that book, Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate will make readers believe in magical dragons and that anything is possible.

Review Copyright ©2009 Cindy Vallar

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