Customer Reviews

Blackbeard's Last Fight

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While the book reviews indicate this is suitable for the grades 1 to 4, amazon's reading level is the better indicator of what the reader's interest will be (ages 9 to 12). My son (age 8, 3rd grade) already knew of the battle's outcome, and he's incredibly (almost comically) squeamish. None of that was the problem. The vocabulary and plot mechanisms are pretty advanced, and not all the plot transitions are smooth. My son was itching to find out more about Blackbeard and his last battle, but we both found this bood to be a snoozer because I had to spend so much time explaining things. I think this book is spot-on for the 9-to-12-aged reader, or an advanced younger reader. Or a child familiar with and/or fascinated by sailing, because I spent a lot of time explaining the navigational aspects of the story. Kudos to the author for historical accuracy (although the bit about Blackbeard's body circling the boat three times could have been addressed better in the explanatory endnotes) and to the illustrator for vivid (but not lurid) depictions. We'll be tucking this away in the bookshelf for another year or two, to try again later.