Pryor, Bonnie Captain Hannah Pritchard

Pryor, Bonnie     Captain Hannah Pritchard       

Enslow      2011  160p  27.93 978-0-7660-3817-2  

elm/ms      E-BN  Historical       

Third book about Hannah Pritchard.  Having escaped a prison ship, Hannah, Daniel, and Dobbs return to Portsmouth and set sail for South Carolina to recover the treasure they had previously buried while avoiding a pirate.  Grades 3-7     The previous two books are summarized in the introduction to this new adventure.  A great feature for readers who are new to the series of adventures.  Here Hannah, Daniel and Dobbs return to Portsmouth to repair and outfit the Hannah.  They have run-ins with Captain Cutter of the Sea Serpent, who turns out to be a real pirate, preying on both the British and American ships.
Running guns to the militia in South Carolina, the crew of the Hannah have to avoid both the British and Captain Cutter.  With a multitude of ploys and tactics they succeed.  Hannah has been the behind the scenes leader and is finally revealed to the crew as a woman.  She is elected Captain as they head home for Portsmouth.
This well written, action packed historical adventure will attract readers.  The descriptions are well drawn making the action, locales and people seem very real.  Readers who have followed Hannah from the beginning will not be disappointed in the third installment.  Historical Fiction Adventures(Enslow)                 Joan Theal

 

Pryor, Kimberley Jane Integrity

Pryor, Kimberley Jane          Integrity        

Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark    2011   32p     18.56   978-1-60870-145-2          

elem                Values (MC/Benchmark)     VG-BNes        

In a school curriculum where values are taught, this title clearly illustrates what is

integrity and how people, especially children, show it.    Integrity is a hard

concept for young children.  This text helps break it down with simplicity and

clarity.  It begins by defining integrity as ╥making sure your words and your

behavior match╙.  It then gives many situations and examples of people, usually

picturing children, showing integrity in their actions.  It talks about acting

with integrity alone, in a family, with friends and with neighbors.  Stress is

given to being your own person and not having to follow peer pressure.

  The photographs clearly expand the text and help  children identify the

actions.  It is bright and colorful.  It will probably not fly off the shelf on

its own merit, but would be a great teaching tool, either one-on-one or with a

small group, to teach values.            There are six titles in the series to teach

children the meaning of some important values.  Theal, Joan

Pryor, Bonnie The Iron Dragon:

Pryor, Bonnie The Iron Dragon: The Courageous Story of Lee Chin
Enslow 2010 160p 27.93
978-0766033894 elem E-BNe Historical Fiction Adventures(Enslow)


A young Chinese immigrant comes to work on the railroad. He learns to stand up for himself, defy his father, and pursue his desires to learn English and become an artist.
Set during construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.
After several years of famine in China, Le Chin accompanies his father to America to help build the Transcontinental Railroad. As a younger son, Le Chin constantly disappoints his father who wants him to save money and return to China to be a farmer. Le Chin wants to be an artist and sees the advantages in learning as much as possible about America and Americans. He makes friends in the railroad camp, saves the son of a financier of the project, and saves his money to buy back his sister who was sold to pay for the boat passage. Through the Americans he befriends, his sister is rescued and joins him in America. They witness the laying of the Golden Spike.
Through the story we learn about life in the railroad camps, construction methods of the time, Chinese customs, and early photography. The story is followed by historical information which formed the background to the story. A fairly large list of additional books for more information on the topic is included, as well as some web sites.
Excellent both as historical fiction and for the background information on the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Historical Theal, Joan

Pryor, Bonnie. Simon’s Escape: A Story of the Holocaust

Pryor, Bonnie Simon’s Escape: A Story of the Holocaust
Enslow 2010 160p 27.93
978-0-7660-3388-7 elm/ms Holocaust VG Historical Fiction Adventures(Enslow)


This historical novel tells the story of a young Jewish boy in the Warsaw of 1939.
By the time that World War II had ended, six million Jews had been murdered at the hands of Nazi Germany. In many areas, the Nazis had the help of the local population. This novel tells the story of a young Jewish boy in the Warsaw of 1939. Until then, Simon has always led a good life. Raised by secular parents, he does well enough in school and is always the first picked for soccer games. His family is well off and everything is rosy until the Nazi invasion. When Poland surrenders, their Jewish population is systematically confined to smaller and smaller areas of Warsaw and given less and less sustenance. To help his family, the boy joins a group of smugglers that deliver food throughout the ghetto to those who still had funds. As time passes, the Germans systematically murder Simon’s family and the rest of the Jews. Simon escapes during the ghetto uprising and makes his way to the forests to join the partisans.
This is engaging, suspenseful, well-written historical fiction with interesting characters and a well paced plot. Based on the actual events, the book would be a good way to introduce younger children to the horrors of the Holocaust. the book ends with a chapter that explains the “real history behind the story” and includes a small map of the ghettos and bibliography of books and Internet addresses.
Historical Ogintz, Susan

Pirate Hannah Pritchard: Captured!

Pryor, Bonnie Pirate Hannah Pritchard: Captured!
Enslow 2009 160p $27.93 978-0-7660-3310-8 elm/ms
Historical Fiction Adventures(Enslow)

The band of pirates that Hannah Pritchard joined (dressed as a boy), are split to return to Massachusetts. Hannah’s group is captured and condemned to prison. The conditions are terrible so they plan an escape. This is the second Hannah Pritchard book. Dressed as a boy, Hannah and her band of pirates capture several British ships and find treasure. There are exciting sea battles between the pirates and the British. Off the Carolina coast, Hannah, Daniel and Dobbs go ashore to bury the treasure. They are captured by British soldiers. As captured rebels, the prisoners are treated poorly. The food is so bad and the air so foul Hannah doubted she would make it, but Daniel always encouraged her. They are transported to New York where they endure imprisonment in even worse conditions. They are so crowded they can not lie down but shuffle every few minutes to circle around an get a breath of fresh air from the tiny window. Eventually they are moved to a prison ship where conditions are deplorable and smallpox is raging. A brief respite comes by way a market woman who brings tiny niceties. They enlist her help to send a letter to Hannah’s friends in Portsmouth. Seeing sickness and death firsthand, they experience a winter with just a thin blanket. Realizing that they would probably die if they stay on the ship, they make plans for escape. Reaching a town along the Hudson, they steal a refurbished ship the night before the British were coming to claim it. At the beginning of the story there is a synopsis of book one. The text closes with detailed historical information about the time of the story. Theal, Joan