Fundorado Island

by Captain Redbeard

Overview

Being a pirate I've had me share of adventure and heard many a tall tale. But what I'm pullin' ye into be more thrillin' than any lit keg o'gun powder I ever had the chance to leap away from. . . .
Abandoned on his ship, the Picaroon, by his no-good bad of scoundrels with no provisions except lots and lots of jelly beans, Captain Redbeard sails off to find a new crew . . . only to have horrible, wretched nightmares. Nightmares that bring about serendipitous disasters that doom the Picaroon. Soon Redbeard finds himself shipwrecked on Fundorado Island, where boundless fantastical adventures await.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307485274
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/02/2009
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Captain Redbeard is well-known to maritime enthusiasts as a pirate who loves his treasure so much he would rather sleep on it than bury it. He has spread his infamous name across the seas, and, though the tale is the subject of much debate, it is rumored he was responsible for the disappearance of all those aboard the storied Mary Celeste. It was his strained relationship with jelly beans, however,that led him into his grandest adventure.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 4-7-This latest in a slew of pirate stories leaves much to be desired. Supposedly authored by Captain Redbeard, the tale falls flat. The pirate's crew aboard the Picaroon deserts him early on, which comes as no surprise given his overbearing and patronizing tone. After various mishaps at sea, Redbeard's ship runs aground on the magical island of Fundorado, where he has run-ins with an assortment of fantastical creatures. The first-person narrative is contrived, and the plot never takes off. The appended glossary provides some interesting information, but the S.O.S.'s (Side-Order Stories) scattered throughout the pages distract rather than enlighten. Painstakingly detailed black-and-white illustrations are charming, but add little to the tale. Readers should stick with more entertaining pirate yarns such as Sid Fleischman's The Giant Rat of Sumatra (HarperCollins), Michele Torrey's Voyage of Plunder (Knopf), and Cressida Cowell's How to Be a Pirate (Little, Brown, all 2005).-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Wisely writing under an assumed name, the author defines the difference between entertainment and self indulgence with this tedious, disconnected tale, told by a pirate captain abandoned by his crew and left to drift aboard a ship filled with looted jellybeans. Being slower on the uptake than anyone else turns out to be Redbeard's only consistent trait, as he starts out murderous and choleric, closes as a jolly sort, who frets over the accidental death of a pet rat, and in between, is tossed up on Fundorado. This is a floating island paradise protected by something called "sparkletricity" and inhabited by numerous unique but poorly described creatures, including Fernobarb, a raging devil with an appetite for newcomers. Redbeard begins in pirate talk punctuated with set-off anecdotes dubbed "Side Order Stories," but abandons both in mid-voyage for a more straightforward narrative that ambles along at the same pace whether he's describing storm or calm, natural wonders or the violent climactic battle. Young readers will consign it to the bottom of Davy Jones's Locker. Frequent illustrations, not seen. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews