The Pirates Next Door (Jonny Duddle)

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a unique race, born of the sea and of a brutal dream, a free people, detached from other human societies and from the future, without children and without old people, without homes and without cemeteries, without hope but not with- out audacity, a people for whom atrocity was a career choice and death a certitude of the day after tomorrow. Though there certainly is some truth in this characterisation, it is a gross over-generalisation. Many of these depictions and our understanding of the nature of the pirate are wrong. There are troves of evidence proving that a not insignificant number of these men were married, had strong family ties and connections to a community on land, were educated (at least to some extent) and came from families who enjoyed some degree of status in their respective societies. I would recommend this book to a year 2 class in terms of being able to understand the language and concepts used. The book would still however provide adequate challenge for this age group.

For the period before the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, it makes more sense to talk about a sailor who commits piracy, rather than an actual “pirate.” Imagine a ten-year-old boy caught stealing candy from the store. If he learned his lesson, it would be ludicrous to call him a “thief” when he reached adulthood. If he goes on to get a PhD and becomes a respectable historian, it makes more sense to call him “professor.” Certainly there were flamboyant captains of legendary status who would never consider legitimate commerce as a way of life. But most sought one large prize and hoped to use their plunder to join the middling to upper echelons of colonial society. Create an alternative version of the story in which a different family move into the house next door to Tilda’s house (e.g. a group of aliens or a family of astronauts).

International

The population of Dull-on-Sea is 2222 and the average age is 67. Can you find out these statistics for towns and cities in your local area? Could you use this information to create graphs, charts and word problems? The true rebels were leaders like Samuel Willet, establishment figures on land who led riots against crown authority. It was the higher reaches of colonial society, from governors to merchants, who supported global piracy, not some underclass or proto proletariat.

Write a list of similarities and differences between Jim Lad and ‘normal’ girls and boys. Why do Tilda’s family want her to be friends with normal children?I think this is a great book and is suitable for years 1-3 in school. The illustrations are brilliant, exciting and add to the amusing nature of the story. It’s great to read aloud to a class of children and practicing pirate accents are a must! Rhyme is featured throughout the book which is an additional feature that makes it perfect to read aloud.