*Shortlisted

Review by Mabli, Parliament Hill school, Camden, London
Blackbeard's Treasure was set in the 1700's and was full of betrayal, adventure and unlikely friendships set on board a pirate ship! My favourite character was Imogen because she was really ambitious and determined to do what she wants. She didn't let anyone tell her what to do which is very inspiring to me.

The plot was exciting and funny and the story was impossible to put down as there were twists and turns throughout the whole book! I learnt a lot about the life of pirates, how their ships ran and the jobs onboard the boat. 

Blackbeard's Treasure stands out to me because it isn't a book I would usually choose but I really enjoyed it and would totally recommend it to other students who enjoy historical fiction. 

Review by Simran, Coopersale Hall School, Essex
I have just finished the book Blackbeard’s Treasure and I loved it. I’ve read lots of pirate books and this was the best one by far! It was a enthralling, exhilarating and exciting book which was full of action.

Packed with historical detail about the Atlantic slave trade, Blackbeard’s Treasure explains about the ravages of empire and human cost of providing luxuries like sugar, cotton and tobacco to Europe. It is a page-turning, swashbuckling adventure which takes a look at the real pirates of the Caribbean.

Overall, it was an amazing book. I would definitely recommend it to someone.

Review by Charlie, Mordiford CE Primary School Hereford
This is an exciting tale about pirates! It tells the story of 11 year old Abigail, who lives in the Caribbean in the 1700s during a time when rich people had slaves who worked on their plantations. It is boring for Abigail because she isn’t allowed to play outside as her clothes are too fine. Her life dramatically changes when brutal pirates arrive and attack her home, killing her father. With nowhere to go, Abigail goes with the pirates, along with her slave boy, who is trying to get enough money to buy his freedom. He was my favourite character because he was brave and clever and didn’t give up but I also liked Abigail and it made me realise that the daughter of a plantation owner doesn’t have her freedom either, but in a different way.

I learned a lot about what happened during the times of slavery, which didn’t know much about before, and about how cruel the plantation owners could be, and this makes the book more “real”. The book had some violent moments which stand out in the book – real pirates were not as funny as those in Pirates of The Caribbean films.

There were moments when I didn’t quite understand the story, so I would recommend it for readers over 10 years old.