Cabin boy, Jeremy Hobbs hears dreadful rumors about the pirate, but also hears about his generosity and how well his crew likes him.

The mercenary ships, the Jane and the Ranger, locate the Adventure,  bearing Blackbeard's flag, a skeleton hoisting an hourglass.  The ships engage in battle as Jeremy wonders about Edward Teach, the man  known as Blackbeard. It is said that his crew members love him... that he sets slaves free, and that he is quite a  ladies man, having been married 15 or 16 times. Jeremy knows about the pardon... is killing him the right thing to do?  

The battle rages around Jeremy with plenty of action and gruesome detail, some of which might be troubling to young children since the action leads to decapitation of the pirate, and yes, that's what history tells us about the outcome of the battle. The battle scenes are exciting, saturated with musket smoke and the swish of cutlasses, as the pirates fight to defend their captain, and the mercenaries struggle to get to him.  Leonard Everett Fisher has done a wonderful job illustrating this book... Blackbeard's glorious beard is braided according to legend. The corsairs and pirates are colorfully depicted, with full color illustrations on every page catching all the exciting action.

I have always loved pirate yarns, and this exciting adventure follows history closely. The recommended reading level is 4 to 8 years old, but it would be suitable for all ages in a family read-aloud session, and a good conversation starter about the real things that happened in our country's past.