Geronimo Stilton Book 18: Shipwreck on the Pirate Islands

ISBN-10: 0439691419
ISBN-13: 978-0439691413

Summary:
My sister had come up with a new way to torment me. She'd combined my two least favorite things - travel and ghosts! Thea had heard rumors of a haunted pirate treasure buried on a desert island. And before I could say "avast ye scurvy rats," she'd dragged me into her treasure hunt!

Review:
My Rating: B+
This Geronimo Stilton was the first book I read in the series (I know every part of me said "Start at the beginning....!" but it wasn’t such a big deal) so it was my first exposure to what the series was about and its unique layout. As this is a review of this book alone rather than the series as a whole I won’t spend too much time elaborating on my initial impressions, except to say I enjoyed it immensely and, as a visual child who never really grew up, I loved all the colours, the different font styles and the dynamic drawings straight away.

Shipwreck on The Pirate Islands tells the tale of how Geronimo, Benjamin, Thea and Trap travel to a group of mysterious islands to search for buried pirate treasure. On the way their place crashes into the sea so they wind up castaways on one of the haunted islands. Needless to say, for sensitive kids, this is probably not a great read for a plane trip! They wash up on the seemingly deserted island and all manner of adventures happen with the local wildlife until the crew discover they are on the same island as the treasure. With another group of mice also on the trail things hot-up and the trio have to solve word and picture riddles to reach their destination. The end is quite a nail-biting and imaginative finale in which...well I can't tell you that!

The artwork was great in this volume. I find the art in the Geronimo Stilton series is, by and large, impeccable. The use of colour, the attention to detail, the dynamic gestures of the character drawings and the beautifully rendered backgrounds are deceptively awesome. Having said that, I personally feel that some stories are better illustrated than others. Its a fairly minor point and something probably only parents might pick up, but some volumes don’t quite reach the same high level of composition and relevance to the text as others. In this title the art is great, particularly the characters-they convey a sense of fun and familiarity and its also got pirates! How cool is that.

What I Learnt (The Extra Bits):
Lots of extra bits in the book including maps of the treasure island, a glossary of pirating and nautical terms and a 3 page history of the most infamous pirates in the world. There is also a nice double page spread with the names of a few tropical fish and undersea animals.

Resources For Further Discussion:
Pirateology; The Pirate Hunter's Companion:I couldn't discuss pirates without mentioning this book written as a ship's log of the famous (but ultimately fictitious) pirate hunter Captain William Lubber. It has fold-outs, pull-outs, turn-ins, tie-ups and flip-over's galore including maps, gold dust, jewels and a compass. (Ages 9-12).
Pirate Diary; The Journal of Jake Carpenter: A great companion to the book above about life aboard a pirate ship as told by a 9 year old carpenter's apprentice. Wonderful illustrations by Chris Riddell are joined by maps, a glossary and all the gory details about life with pirates during the eighteenth century. (Ages 9-12)

Fiction That Deals With similar subjects:
Pirate Pete: As Pirate Pete and his trusty parrot sail the seas in search of gold and booty, they have a hard time tracking down the jackpot. A wonderfully rich story with colourful and inventive illustrations. There are two more books in the series; Pirate Pete's Talk Like A Pirate and Pirate Pete's Giant Adventure. (Ages 5-8)

Night Pirate: Tom is awoken by a band of rough, tough little girl pirates, so what does he do? He joins their ranks! Together they set sail in search of treasure. But what will happen when they meet a crew of rough, tough grown-up pirates? Readers will be swept up in the spare, jaunty text, & quirky illustrations in this unexpected bedtime adventure. Just in case you thought girls couldn't be pirates too! (Ages 4-8)

Where To Buy The Book
A great way to purchase Geronimo Stilton books is on the internet, and ebay is one of the best resources around for finding a great price. Click on the latest live auctions for Geronimo Stilton Shipwreck On The Pirate Islands below.
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