Uncle Pirate - Hardcover

Douglas Rees is a librarian who resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He is also the author of Grandy Thaxter's Helper, Uncle Pirate and Uncle Pirate to the Rescue, as well as two novels for older readers, Lightning Time and Vampire High. Visit him online at DouglasRees.com.

Tony Auth has been the editorial cartoonist for the Philadelphia Enquirer since 1971. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his work in 1976, as well as five Overseas Press Club Awards and the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Distinguished Service in Journalism. His cartoons are distributed around the world by Universal Press Syndicate.

Grade 2–4—Wilson's life is challenging. His elementary school is not for the lily-livered; it is disastrously run and overflowing with bullies. His scallywag principal spends his days under a desk and the school secretary must be bribed with snacks. His classmates refuse to learn, preferring to torment one another instead. Life at home is hard, too. His family's wallet and living quarters are tight. This all begins to change when Wilson finds out that he has an uncle who is a pirate. After years marooned on Antarctica with a talking penguin, Uncle Desperate Evil Wicked Bob is coming to stay. Needless to say, the man does not quite fit in, but he's still able to whip Wilson's school into shape. Readers will enjoy the fun of Uncle Pirate's unorthodox methods and the pirate theme and jargon (glossary included). Though light on character development, this quick-paced jaunt will amuse children as it sails the current of pirate mania. Auth's delightful black-and-white illustrations appear throughout.—Laura Butler, Mount Laurel Library, NJ
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