Jack Jones and the Pirate Curse - Hardcover

JUDITH ROSSELL is a children's book author and illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia.  Jack Jones and the Pirate Curse is her first novel.

Grade 3–6—An Australian author known primarily for her puzzle picture books tries her hand at a novel with mixed results. When his Great Uncle Mungo dies, and Poll, a talking parrot, appears on the scene, Jack discovers that he is the next male in line to inherit his family's curse: without warning, people around him turn into pirates and proceed to attack him. The boy learns that he is a direct descendant of the fearsome Blackstrap Morgan, who allegedly betrayed his shipmates and sent them off to hang without their promised portion of the treasure. These ghostly pirates take control of other people's bodies to exact their revenge on their enemy's descendants. There is not much characterization here, and all the adults are portrayed as nitwits who really can't do anything to fix the problem. Jack's only real help comes from his friend Rachel. In the end, he learns to deal creatively with his foes and finally figures out how to get them out of his life. While the story is not much more than a repetitive series of episodes of people—including Jack's teacher and his parents—getting possessed by swaggering buccaneers, this quick read will still have appeal to reluctant readers and fans of pirate yarns.—Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ
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