This is one of those books I’m just not cool enough to get. A ship of skeleton pirates sails onward wishing for death. I know. They’re already dead, they just want to be really dead. The pirates periodically still murder and pillage and board ships, because what else can you do when you’re waiting for death. Then one day, they end up with a real live baby. They decide to raise him until he’s old enough to be a good cabin boy and then kill him so that they’ll have their very own skeleton cabin boy. In the meantime, you have a ship of bloodthirsty pirates caring for a baby. It could have been hilarious, it could have been sinister, but in actuality, it’s philosophical. Definitely for brooding types who want to ponder the meaning of life (and death) and the existence of God (or not).
Sex, Nudity, Dating – The pirates are glad they’re dead so women don’t get all their money anymore. You know, the kind of women that have inns. And cleavage (shown in the pictures). The baby is drawn naked.
Profanity – “damned/damn/damnation,” “hellish,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Pirates are skeleton pirates. They’re seeking a more permanent death than the one they have. They are armed with guns, knives, cutlasses. They kill some living people on a ship. They debate slaying a baby. They plan to slay a child.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – Well, most of the book. Also, some really creepy illustrations about what the living boy believes other living people would be like (it’s a lot scarier than pirate skeletons).
I just read this, and the ending was the most disturbing thing. The pictures throughout were scary, but the ending was emotionally disturbing. I had expected a happier book about orphans and pirate skeletons from the cover (I know, what was I thinking).
No, I totally agree. When I grabbed it, I assumed “picture book”. I blame my library system though because they have it filed as J. Not exactly something I’d let a child anywhere near.