Guns of Tortuga [School & Library Binding]

B. Strickland (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Safe Harbor?

Five months into their undercover search for the pirate Jack Steele, Captain Hunter and the Aurora head for the island of Tortuga to put in for repairs after a battle with a deadly Spanish ship. Davy Shea, now fifteen years old and accepted by the Aurora's crew, continues to help his uncle Patch in the ship's surgery, but Captain Hunter has a special mission for him.

The Captain has learned that captured British officers are being held on the island for ransom from the Crown, and he is determined to rescue those officers, even risking the Aurora's cover. As a servant boy, Davy can easily pass among the various pirate groups thriving on Tortuga.

But as Davy begins to uncover the many secrets and deceptions that shroud this beautiful island, he soon realizes that more is at stake than the lives of a few captured officers. A plan is in the works that will force the pirate hunters on the Aurora to make new alliances...and bring them face to face with former enemies.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-In this second book in the series, Davy Shea continues his travels with his Uncle Patch, a surgeon, on the Aurora to find the villainous pirate Jack Steele. When the ship is damaged while waging battle with the Concepcion, the crew heads for Tortuga, a notorious den of pirates, where Captain Hunter hopes to replenish supplies and make repairs. Invited to dinner on the island, the captain discovers that two British officers are being held hostage, and he vows to free them before the Aurora sets sail. An authors' note provides historical context, and a Web site explains pirate lingo and gives background on the story. This fast-paced, action-packed tale of life as an undercover pirate on the high seas provides intrigue, mystery, friendship, and enough battle scenes to appeal to reluctant readers as well as adventure seekers.
Kathleen A. Nester, Downingtown High Ninth Grade Center, PA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. This title follows the author's Mutiny! [BKL D 15 02] as the second installment in a swashbuckling series set in the Caribbean in the 1680s. Twelve-year-old Davy Shea is aboard the Aurora with his uncle Patch, who is the crew's surgeon. The Aurora flies the Jolly Roger, but Davy knows that his uncle and the ship's captain, William Hunter, are on a secret mission to rid the sea of pirates. Hunter wants to track down one pirate in particular--the evil Jack Steele. Most of this adventure takes place on the island of Tortuga, where Steele is trying to form an armada of pirate ships. Davy and his compatriots enlist the help of a Spanish pirate hunter and smash the pirate fleet. Mutiny! started off rather slowly, but this has plenty of action for fans of high-seas adventure. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 208 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback Books: A Division of Sanval (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613604180
• ISBN-13: 978-0613604185
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,012,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Ballistic Pace, April 25, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Guns of Tortuga (Paperback)

In murky Tortuga, which our heroes are not familiar with, people are getting murdered left and right. From sea battles to swordplay, this book has everything you would think pirates would do. The boy does things that seem realistic for his age (which is the same as mine). He doesn't load cannons or slay pirates himself, but he is a spy and assistant surgeon. There's constant action and surprises, twists and turns and deadly encounters.
I finished it in one sitting.
The same authors wrote the Wishbone Mystery series. In those books, they leapt from one plot to another too quickly, and the mysteries set in the present weren't very exciting. They write better with one story to tell, and The Guns of Tortuga's hero can fight, battle and spy because he has to do these things to survive.