Customer Reviews

The Sneakiest Pirates

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gosh, the author is only 7. I hate to see what he writes after freshman english class in high school! As childrens' books go I honestly cannot complain about this one. The story has beginning, a middle, and an end. It is pretty well written. And the illustrations added to the text. I was not bogged down in turning the pages - the story flowed.

This is a quick and simple story about a kid who comes across a pirate burying his stolen treasure. The kid ultimately gets the treasure, takes it home, and plans to go out on another adventure in his next book. Ha. Ha. 5 stars!

For author/illustrator, Dalton James, The Sneakiest Pirates, is one of his many accomplishments in the short seven years of his life. Amazingly he has written an absolutely cute and quite humorous book for young children, and what a better way to enrapture a child in the adventures of reading than to have a child describe the tale to them? This book introduces readers to the first quest of Pirate Pete and his Daddy Scurvy James who happen upon a treasure and of course become rich in the process. There is adventure and treachery included in this tale, but you'll have to read it to find out what happens.

Written and illustrated by a seven-year-old boy, this book shows surprising depth of character for so young an author. The King's gold is stolen by Peg Leg Chuck and the boy pirate Pirate Pete and his dad Scurvy James set out to recover the buried treasure. Digging up the gold at the spot marked with "A", ("X" has been overused) Pete and Scurvy get greedy and fight over the treasure. After a lengthy swordfight, both are exhausted so they re-agree to share the loot equally. After they return home with their treasure, they decide to become musicians and their new names will be Rock Star Pete and Rock Star James.
The level of character development is surprising for so young an author. It is a simple story that will appeal to very young children as the action is consistent with what they would imagine themselves doing. Imagination can take you a long way in the world and from the evidence here, James is taking the first steps in a long and interesting journey.

I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of The Sneakiest Pirate. I read it to my 6 year old son, and he was so psyched that we were reading a book that was written by a kid not much older than himself.

His favorite part of the book was the illustrations. He kept asking me who drew the pictures 'on' the book. He really liked the story, and REALLY liked that the pictures perfectly coincided with the words.

I don't think I have ever seen him so entertained. I don't know if it was the book as much as the awe that it was written by someone his age.

Either way, it was an excellent read. And I would recommend it for ANY parent of a 4-8 year old boy. Honestly, I think it had much more than entertainment value for my son. He is now inspired to improve his reading and writing so that he can write books too. And any book that inspires learning is invaluable...

My kids love this book, cause its written by a kid (it happens to be their doctors kid),but it is still a kid. My daughter reads it to her brother all the time and he enjoys her doing the voices. My daughter even writes her own stories now cause she sees that even kids can get published. Great story for everyone

What makes "The Sneakiest Pirates" unique is that Dalton James, its author and illustrator, is a bright, active, and precocious seven year old boy. Dalton has created the lively and entertaining story of a young boy named Pirate Pete and his dad, Scurvy James, who set sail on the high seas in pursuit of adventure as they seek to find the King's loot which was stolen by Peg Leg Chuck. This whimsical tale is ideal for small children and provides a model of illustrated storytelling that could very well inspire other children to write and draw stories of their own! Very highly recommended for family, school, and community library collections.

Loved this story. I loved the frank honesty of pursuing a treasure and then dealing with greed and resolving it. Children view life so well. I can't wait to read the next Father/Son adventure. Kids will love this book. The plot and illustrations are intriguing.

What a wonderful story from a child's perspective. The pictures and story will have you laughing regardless of your age!
A wonderful inspiration to young writer's proving that their words are meaningful and do matter!

Hello everyone. My name is Dalton and this is my first book. Please take a look at it. I drew all the pictures and told my daddy what to type. I really like it and I hope you do to.

Heard of Writer Dalton James? Didn't think so. But you will. Why? Because he is only seven years old and has already had two books published! How's that for precocity? Mozart of the writing world!

Sooooo--is the book, "The Sneakiest Pirate," any good? Well, yes, it is, actually. It is quite good. Knowing ahead of time that the book is written by a kid helps in enjoying the creativity and gifted imagination of the writer and his story.

(If an adult had written and illustrated this book, I would have different things to say. But he didn't and I don't. In fact, one of the newest trends in the classrooms of elementary students is Young Authors. By studying an author, learning the creative process, and analyzing several works by one author in order to understand the directions that imagination can lead a writer--all are techniques used by teachers as the impetus for children to write their own books. In fact, students, whether individually or through collaboration of two or more, are creating AND publishing their products. The whole point is to show the creative PROCESS and how on-going it is. Also, holding in hand the end product is akin to looking into the face of a newborn baby. Pride in accomplishment is just one by-product. Where in the world would children publish? Websites are springing up all over the internet, making it a major handler of student work. Imagine!)

In Dalton's case, I am not sure about Outskirts Press--hold, let me check it now...If you google Outskirts, here is what you will see in the second entry of items that appear: "Self publishing simplified. Keep 100% of your rights and 100% of your author royalties with the full-service book publishing services at Outskirts Press."

Apparently his proud parents "self-published" their son's two books. Doesn't matter. Dalton has two published books to his credit. Outskirts does a beautiful job, by the way. This is not a publisher that makes do with less. The book is beautifully presented to look exactly like a product from a New York publisher.

As for the story Dalton lets his imagination take full control. The plot swings wildly, but reasonably. One fat-bodied stick figure/pirate (refer to illustration on cover for an example), all by himself, outfitted with a ship, steals the king's gold, buries it on an island, and lets A mark the spot. (A great beginning for a series of alphabet books!)

Little does this Peg Leg the Pirate know that two audacious, awesome, bad pirates (see cover) are closely following his every move. Using trickery and stealth, they withdraw Peg's gold from under the A and use it to become famous Rock Stars! THE END! Continued in Book 2: The Heroes of Googley Woogley.

Do I recommend this book? You bet! I think this librarian will read "Pirates" to her students sometime this fall. I'll return to this review for an update about the book's reception. Now that I think of it, Dalton is the mirror image of Mirette, (Mirette on the High Wire, another example of an audacious role model. Both are determined, passionate, and talented! However, Dalton lives and breathes--his characters come alive when we open his book. It is the reverse process with Mirette. She lives, too, but through our imagination. What Dalton did is to give readers more fuel to spark the synapses of possibilities. Way to go, Dalton!