The Pirate Queen - Hardcover

McCully, Emily Arnold

3.85

88 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399226575 ISBN 13: 9780399226571

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile, 1995

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Recreates the life of the sixteenth-century Irish pirating woman, Grania O'Malley, whose exploits included saving her father from an Englishman's sword, fighting off Turkish pirates, and out-dueling her enemies.

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About the Author:

Emily Arnold McCully was born in Galesburg, Illinois, and grew up "a daredevil child," always climbing trees or buildings. She made it to college intact, however, and received her B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. in art history from Columbia University.

Emily McCully's artwork has been included in the International Biennale at Bratislava, and she has won a Christopher Award for Picnic, one of the many picture books that she has both written and illustrated.

Writing also for adults, Ms. McCully has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council on the Arts. Her book, A Craving was nominated for an American Book Award.

The idea for Mirette on the High Wire began as a biography of real-life daredevil Blondin. But the author changed her mind to accomodate the tree-climbing child and risk-taking adult she was and is.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-5?This story of Irish swashbuckler Grania O'Malley is culled from both legend and history (an author's note provides clarification). McCully introduces a 16th-century heroine who will intrigue youngsters and who will offer educators an alternative to what is traditionally presented as a male "occupation." Grania's unique mixture of brains and brawn was revealed at an early age through her fluent Latin, her ability to outdance and outgamble any of the sailors, and through a courageous act that saved her father's life. Nothing deterred her. A day after her son was born at sea, Grania "exchanged the babe for a blunderbuss...and burst onto the deck" in the midst of a Turkish raid. At the pinnacle of her success, the fearless marauder met her match in an English governor, hired to subdue the Irish. The climax poses the pirate queen in a face-off with Queen Elizabeth I. Windswept hair, leaping figures, blurred outlines, and a liberal use of white highlights pack the paintings with motion and energy that propel the adventures. It is interesting to note that the title appears in the same year as Jane Yolen's The Ballad of the Pirate Queens (Harcourt, 1995). While the two books differ in specific subject, in literary form, and in artistic style, they certainly invite comparison and pairing. Brave students and teachers will want to read both.?Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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