Pirates have been a perennial favourite in literature going back to characters such as Long John Silver and Captain Hook.  However there are also a wealth of pirates who actually lived and whose exploits formed the basis of these fictional stories.  So, it is no wonder that we still have an abundance of stories  which include these mythical sounding characters.

In this story, Kitty is the daughter of a ship’s captain and has spent her 11 years on board ship with her mother.  Her father is presumed dead after a terrible storm sank his ship many years ago and her elder sister  disappeared when Kitty was still very young.  The world in which the story is set is a mix of  old and new technologies; where the mighty ships that trade across the seas are powered by a substance called Marinium, which comes from a 5 yearly meteor shower.  Unfortunately the supply of the rare substance is running out and both traders and pirates are in a desperate hunt to find more supplies, because if the ships run out of power, they will sink!  Whilst Kitty and her mother’s ship the “Amazon Princess” are searching, Kitty discovers that her missing sister is now a much feared pirate queen, but can she be saved, or does she enjoy the life of a pirate?

This is a brilliantly swashbuckling and exciting story for middle grade children and will make a wonderful addition to collections for “Talk like a Pirate” day.  Kitty is an engaging person who  although still very young, is very determined to make the most of life at sea. Her best friend is called Scally and he is stowing away, as he had been branded as a pirate; his misuse of language reminds me of the character Mrs Malaprop (Sheridan, The Rivals) and the author has come up with some wonderful alternative words.

An aspect that I particularly enjoy is the inclusion of illustrations and information that are meant to come from the book called “The Pirate’s Portolano”, which is designed as a guide to the sea world they inhabit and also the pirates who are the greatest danger.  The “Amazon Princess” is a multi tiered vessel, with a similar number of decks to some of the mega-liners that cruise the world today.  In some ways they remind me of the travelling cities imagined by Philip Reeve in “Mortal Engines” and by William Nicholson in the “Windsinger” series.  The author has created a world that is both familiar and also strange, so that the audience is never quite sure what will happen next.  Luckily the plot seems to suggest that we should be ready for another thrilling instalment in the future and I will definitely be looking forward to learning more about Kitty and her adventures.

About the Author

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author from Glasgow, Scotland, who loved reading books and writing adventure stories from an early age. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK.

Her previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, War of the Wind, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, Norah’s Ark, The Whistlers in the Dark, Feast of Ashes, and Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs. Her books have won the RED Book Award 2024, YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023 and the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, and have been short-listed and long-listed for numerous other awards. War of the Wind and Norah’s Ark were also both nominated for the 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medals.

Victoria writes and edits Key Stage 2 books for the education company Twinkl. She spends the rest of her time writing novels and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops. Her latest novel, Kittiwake Stormhaven and the Pirate’s Portolano, channels her love of pirates and swashbuckling adventure to create a steampunk world set on the seven seas, and is illustrated by the very talented James Brown.
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com