According to the wicked Captain Blackboot, who was “the only kid to ever get kicked out of pirate school for being too rotten”, pirates are misunderstood. They should not be tolerated. Their lives should be difficult. They should be hunted on land and sea and met with dread. And one thing is for certain. They shouldn’t be the subject of stories for children. It’s a good thing that author Jon Morgan ignored the advice of his lead villain, as THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SHOELACE–a story about pirates for (older) children, is tremendous fun.
Captain Shoelace is in his early teens and he lives on his ship docked at Kingsfloat island with his pal Captain Melvin, who happens to be a goldfish. Captain Shoelace hasn’t yet learned how to tie his shoelaces nor has he mastered how to bake his favorite banana cream pie. It’s his failure to bake a pie and the fact that he hungrily spies some delicious looking cakes being laid out on the trestle tables in preparation for the wedding of the king’s daughter that kicks off this rollicking adventure. After a series of slapstick style mishaps, Captain Shoelace gets caught up in a battle between the king’s men and the pirate crews of Captains Bluebeard and Redbeard, who have both decided to attack Kingsfloat island at the same time. All three Captains get locked up in the same dungeon, that is until Captain Blackboot makes an appearance. Blackboot is appalled at the rather lax attitude of the king and Kingsfloat island’s easy going approach to life and wants to set an example. Captain Shoelace is proud of his home and has other ideas.
Aimed at middle grade readers, THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SHOELACE is fast-paced and often very funny. Captain Shoelace has his heart in the right place but is not so prim and proper that he can’t get into scrapes. He’s quick witted and ready to question authority with a degree of cheekiness that is endearing rather than irritating. And without wishing to spoil the plot, the manner in which he succeeds in triumphing over Blackboot is very satisfying.
THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SHOELACE is an exciting story for middle-school readers that plays for laughs more than swashbuckling high seas adventure, with an endearing pirate hero who should have many further escapades ahead.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader