(2) 4-6 The Desperado Detective Agency (Three Times Lucky etc.) now has two mysteries to solve--one concerning Mo's continuing search for her biological mother, the other Blackbeard's lost treasure. Turnage focuses on plot and her signature down-home Southern language. Characters grow and reveal their complexities, but the heart of the novel is the mysteries, and their solutions involve more sophisticated detective work than the Desperados have employed before.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(4) YA Castroman's second tale (Blackhearts) further develops a foundation for Teach's legendary career as pirate Blackbeard. Teach is framed as a mutineer, while his beloved, Anne, fights the corruption and cruelty infecting Nassau. Together they outwit rivals, slavers, and politicians while cementing alliances with other piratical outcasts. The novel showcases the injustices of the colonial era even as it revels in romantic, if soap-operatic, adventure.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Housemaid Anne, the orphaned daughter of a wealthy English merchant and a West Indies slave, is desperate to escape England for the West Indies, her mother's birthplace. Her plans become complicated as she falls for sailor Teach, her employer's son. Castroman's slow-paced love story addresses race and gender issues, culminating in an origin story for Blackbeard the pirate.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 4-6 Pirates series. Unlike some other books that sensationalize pirates, this series is filled with actual history, geography, and politics. It shares interesting facts and details about individual pirates, the times in which they flourished, and bits and pieces about their daily lives. The cleanly designed pages include many paintings and sketches (though the few staged photos and movie stills are gratuitous). Glos., ind. Review covers these Pirates titles: A History of Pirates, A Pirate's Life, Bartholomew Roberts, Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, and Henry Morgan.

Reviewer: Becky Levine