The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists

December 15, 2006
Anachronisms ahoy! The merry band of quasi-nameless pirates (the pirate with the scarf, the pirate who knows a bit about nature) is back for a third adventure. Led by their indomitable, peanut-brained Pirate Captain, he of the glossy beard and insatiable hunger for all things ham, the pirate crew find themselves in the company of Karl Marx (whose beard nearly rivals the Pirate Captain's, much to his dismay) and Friedrich Engels. Statuesque blondes are trying to defame Communists all across Europe--could it have anything to do with Wagner's new opera that is all the rage? This is tomfoolery of the highest seas and lowest brow, and while for some the absurdity may run a bit thin by the final page, Defoe's giddiness is infectious and no less tempered by having traversed these waters before. "This is definitely our most cultural adventure yet," declares one pirate, and here's to hoping that it is not their last, or silliest. Also appended is the philosophical work "The Wit and Wisdom of the Pirate Captain," which includes a recipe for delicious fudge brownies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)