The Turtle Pirates: Beneath the Sunrise by Ben Swiercz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When my sister-in-law told me about a new middle grade book that was just published by a friend, I was excited to read it and see what it was about. Having read quite a few long, heavy novels recently, I could use some reprieve with a lighthearted middle grade tale.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Turtle Pirates: Beneath the Sunrise. It is the tale of a young girl spending the summer at her grandpa’s house on the lake when she stumbles upon the story of a pirate that used to inhabit the area. Her and her friends go on an adventure to find the secrets the pirate left behind.
Some of the things I really enjoyed:
1. Loved the character development of the girl, Evey, and her friend Archer. Evey has a speech disorder and I found her dialogue endearing. I think it’s refreshing when an author creates a character that endures some form of adversity, particularly in the middle grade genre. I found Archer to be hysterical and his rambling put a smile on my face.
2. The undertones of bullying and standing up to bullies were well placed and, again, important messages for middle grade that I felt the author tackled really well.
3. There was a fair bit of education for the younger generation on reading maps, solving problems, the basics of sailing a boat, etc. that were good thought-provokers for those who have never been introduced to those skills.
4. Although I was waiting to learn more about the secrets of the pirate, I appreciated the way the author left the story on a cliffhanger. I guess I’ll just have to wait for The Turtle Pirates 2: Blacksmith Mansion!
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