The Pirate Captain's Daughter

The Pirate Captain's Daughter
By Eve Bunting
Sleeping Bear Press, 2011. 208 pgs. Young Adult

Catherine's father is a pirate, and when her father dies, Catherine insists that she wants to be a pirate, too. After she disguises herself as a boy, her father agrees, and Catherine joins the crew. However, piracy isn't at all what she imagined; the ship is filthy, there are two pirates who seem to have it in for her and her father, and the violence involved in being a pirate makes Catherine sick to her stomach. It's more difficult than she anticipated to hide the fact that she's a girl, and if she's discovered, both she and her father will be severely punished. At the same time, there is one bright spot: William, the cabin boy...except he thinks that Catherine is a boy.

I liked the idea of this book--a girl pirate, a bit of adventure and romance--but the actual execution of the book was less than satisfying. There was too much going on, too much crammed into 200 pages, and it left the plot lines completely underdeveloped. The romance happened too quickly and didn't have enough substance to make it believable, and Catherine's plan to conceal herself was woefully under-thought, to the point that she almost seemed stupid. Overall, I'm disappointed and didn't find much to recommend about this book.

AE