This is not a glorified account of pirate life. It is not full of pirate lingo and cliche. Rather it’s based on a real story of an early shipwreck, woven together with a legend of love passed down through generations of Cubans. Told in verse, the writing is spare but lovely. There are multiple narrators: the slave boy, a pirate captain, a fallen conquistador, a fisherman, a chieftain’s daughter. Each page is headed with the name of the character, so it is not too confusing to follow. The different perspectives together offer a rich story. Both the pirate and the conquistador are shown for the villains they are and it would be interesting to discuss their similarities and differences.
The book opens with a handy character and pronunciation guide and ends with an author’s note about her own Cuban heritage and a historical note about the characters involved (all but the main character Quebrado are based on real people).
Great for: Starting discussions about the Europeans explorers and conquistadors. This does a lovely job of focusing on the native Taino Indians and their culture while being clear on the savagery of those who arrived in their lands. Upper grades teachers may be interested in using this along with Columbus Day activities to give a perspective separate from that of the explorers.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – Male dancers in a tribe are “almost naked”. The daughter of the chieftain is supposed to marry another chieftain but is in love with a fisherman. A boy and girl in love “huddle together” in a cave. She is to be sent away to marry against her will.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – A plague sweeps through a town. Beatings. Slavery. Slaughter of 10,000 native peoples. Men are thrown overboard by a storm, some leap. A man is wounded, his leg paralyzed by a frog-poisoned arrow. A man attacks another with sharp shells to try to cut off his hands. In the Historical Note, there is a hanging and a mention of a man wanting to be buried in a place where many would have to step on his bones.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – Quebrado is abandoned by his father. He is kidnapped by pirates. Hurricanes rock the ship.
