BLACKBEARD’S LAST FIGHT

A renowned pirate meets his bloody end in this fictionalized episode, spun from historical accounts. Pointedly noting the illegality of the enterprise, Kimmel takes a cabin boy’s–eye view as the governor of the Virginia Colony hires Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard to mount a surreptitious private attack on Blackbeard, who has taken up residence in North Carolina after securing a formal pardon from that colony’s governor. Pitting his two sloops against Blackbeard’s Adventure, Maynard prevails by the skin of his teeth after a violent dustup, then sails off in triumph with the pirate’s severed head hanging from the bowsprit. Sadly, Fisher neglects to depict this last scene—but does deliver several rousing portraits of the living Blackbeard, dressed in black and royal purple with a heavy, braided beard and lit matches fuming beneath his tricorn hat. Exciting fare for pirate fans—as well as a discussion-provoking case study in international relations. (afterword) (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-10)