Pirate's Passage

If I could, I would never have put this book down. And if I had any say, there would be no end to it. The ending wraps things up nicely, I think. I just dislike that it had to end at all. I would not be aware of this book had it not been for Donald Sutherland and Pip Animation getting a film made of it. I also likely wouldn't have read it if Donald had not loved it so much and given it such high praise. All of which I think it deserves. The movie hits all the most important details, but there's so much more content in the book that simply could not be translated to the screen. If you liked the movie, have an interest in pirates, mysteries, the supernatural, or all things nautical, I highly recommend reading this book. I know I'll definitely be reading it again.

Argh! Pirate's Passage is a book that suggests a view that some pirate's weren't bad and some hero's were bad. In the story a strange man comes to where Jim is living and teaches him about pirate's. In the book Jim uses pirate strategies to solve problems of his own. His friend, Jenny, accompanies him in some of the lessons the man teaches and in some of Jim's adventure's. If you are interested in pirates you should read this book. It is a very good book that I enjoyed reading. The pirate's in the story were real pirates. It is both fiction and nonfiction combined. It is a great story and you get to learn a little bit about pirates. I highly recommend this book. Happy reading mateys!

Sailor, journalist, and historian William Gilkerson presents Pirate's Passage is an award-winning novel for young adults, combining the history of Western piracy with a tale of adventure and intrigue. When a windstorm forces a small boat to seek refuge at port on the Nova Scotia coast in 1952, its old sea captain changes the life of an ordinary family, and regales a young boy named Jim with exciting stories about pirates. Readers of all ages are sure to enjoy this lengthy and enthralling saga, sparsely illustrated with black-and-white sketches by the author.

This book first attracted my attention because of the pirate theme. I was looking for something to read to my son. This book has been great because it is keeping us both very engaged and giving us lots to talk about, tons of new words and concepts for his fertile mind - and mine. If history were this fascinating when I was in school, I would have paid closer attention! I will warn that while fascinating, the straightforward details are fairly graphic - the non-glorious aspects of a battle and the payment schedules for lost limbs are mentioned, for example. While I do not feel the author dwelled on them, he did mention them which I think is important to portraying a more realistic picture. So, I do not read this before bedtime, instead I read it to my son in the mornings while he was waking up (which I have found makes our morning routine much more pleasant all the way around). Also, I do find myself naturally swapping some vocabulary along the way to make it easier for him to read, but I would rather have it that way. It probably would be more appropriate for a slightly older kid, but I am glad we stumbled upon it - what a true treasure! By the way, I very much agree with the second reviewer's suggestions about adding a glossary, ship schematic, and such.

William Gilkerson's novel Pirate's Passage is a tour de force. It is miscast as a children's book, as the author disingenuously categorizes it. Although it is cleverly enough written so that it can be read by a young reader and is nicely illustrated, it has layered depths of meaning, provoking the mind of the most sophisticated reader. The author's prose is beautifully crafted. He introduces an enigmatic storyteller whose tales are both real and magical at the same time. The author examines the subject from all angles, teaching lessons that, in his hands are both ageless and mystical, all in a setting that rocked my boat like a surprise shift of the wind. This is the first true pirate classic since Treasure Island itself, but with deeper sands in which to dig, and for a greater treasure. "Pirates Passage" deserves at least the five-star maximum, plus many more.

Mr. Gilkerson has written something wonderful here; even 50 pages in and at the tender age of 40+ I was enjoying the ride. This is one fun book to read, and aside from some of the nautical terms used, seems very appropriate for an early adolescent. Also, as a hobby pirate historian, I can fully appreciate what the author has done in providing a background for the history of piracy in his narrative. He has provided this history in what I consider to be a very engaging manner; a manner that will drag the younger reader along entertainingly and educationally. Three hundred plus pages later, I was just as engaged as the author wound up his narrative. There are only a couple of minor things that could have been included to help the young reader: 1) a glossary of terms, 2) a labeled image of ship rigging, and 3) a collected bibliography for further reading. In the end, those are fairly minor points when considered in the context of the overall entertainment value of the book. My hearty thanks to William Gilkerson for entertaining me with this splendid tale. P-)