(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) YA In Ockler's "The Little Mermaid"–inspired tale set in seaside Oregon, Elyse, who lost her voice in a devastating boating accident, agrees to act as first-mate for handsome Christian in a high-stakes regatta; Elyse must face her watery demons and find the power in her true voice. Mermaid lore deepens this beach read, though the conclusion is fairly unsatisfying.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) YA Caribbean Today series. Though they're not the most scintillating reads, these books provide plenty of information for report writers. Main texts focusing on history, geography, and people are supplemented with maps, sidebars, photos, recipes (geared toward experienced cooks), events calendars, report ideas, and organizations to contact. There are five other spring 2009 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Caribbean Today titles: Cuba, Caribbean Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands, Barbados, and Windward Islands.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA Caribbean Today series. Though they're not the most scintillating reads, these books provide plenty of information for report writers. Main texts focusing on history, geography, and people are supplemented with maps, sidebars, photos, recipes (geared toward experienced cooks), events calendars, report ideas, and organizations to contact. There are five other spring 2009 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Caribbean Today titles: Cuba, Caribbean Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands, Barbados, and Windward Islands.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Milagros escapes an attack on her Caribbean island home. Miraculously, she arrives at an island off the coast of Maine. Woven into the story of her new life are concurrent chapters set aboard her father's pirate ship. Medina's use of magical realism keeps readers tantalizingly off-balance. Milagros is a survivor, and her strange, haunting tale will remain with readers.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(4) YA After her father dies, leaving her penniless, Patricia Kelley runs away from her British boarding school to stow away on a ship. When she is discovered, she dresses like a lady by day and a sailor by night. The convoluted plot in this eighteenth-century soap-opera adventure throws in a few too many tragedies, but readers are sure to enjoy the feisty character Collison has created.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) YA Forced to spend the summer on a remote Caribbean island while her father studies turtles, Casey, furious at being separated from her social life, nevertheless develops an island romance and proves her leadership skills in a crisis. Though it's hard to like a protagonist who complains about a chance-of-a-lifetime vacation, the classic coming-of-age themes are well developed and secondary characters add spice.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) K-3 Translated by Dolores Prida. Illustrated by Fabian Negrin. This is a Spanish edition of Alvarez's The Secret Footprints, a retelling based on a Dominican folktale about a tribe of people whose feet point backward so as not to reveal their location. The translation is nicely done, and the language provides a real sense of the storytelling tradition. The vibrantly colored illustrations give the tale both a sense of place and a dreamlike quality.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) 4-6 Culture Crafts series. Illustrated by Randall Gooch. Each volume contains two spreads defining handicrafts and describing some necessary materials. An explanation of the evolution of crafts unique to each country or region accompanies a simple map. The focus then moves to eight crafts, their symbolism, uses, history, and evolutions, with photos of professionally crafted items and their artisans. Directions for an adapted version of each craft assume a fairly experienced crafter. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Fabian Negrin. Based on Dominican folklore, this dreamy story tells how a bold ciguapa almost reveals her tribe's whereabouts. Ciguapas are beautiful creatures who live underwater and hunt for food on land at night; their feet are on backwards, so their footprints never give their location away. Illustrations in a rich blue-green palette bring out the magical realism in this well-told tale.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Dillon & Diane Dillon. This adaptation of a West Indian version of "Rumpelstiltskin" not only has plenty of mischief in its own right but also gives some spirit to its heroine, poignancy to its trickster, and long overdue payback to its greedy king. Gold paint, naturally, frames the theatrically posed pictures, which contrast rich patterns in clothing and décor with elegant portraiture of the (human) principals. With its easygoing lilt, the text reads aloud well.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2000

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. On a West Indian island, men feel weak around Miss Tiny because of her height, brawn, and booming voice. When short, scrawny, hearing-impaired Mr. Bigman arrives, the townsmen assume he'll run from Tiny, but after she builds him a house, he's smitten. The writing has panache and the illustrations verve, creating a funny feminist tale that may leave one question for some readers: Can only "weak" men love "strong" women?

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Joan Luby. In four stories set in the West Indies, Cow rejects Egret and learns about friendship; proud Mornin Dove discovers that she is not in charge of the sunrise; Monkey tries to trick some frogs; and lonely Goat raises a baby pelican. The leisurely pace lags occasionally, but the rich dialect adds the engaging flavor of oral storytelling. A source note simply states that the author heard these stories from various neighbors on St. Croix.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert