| Title | : | Mystery at Blackbeards Cove (Blackbeard, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0974930318 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780974930312 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 349 |
| Publication | : | First published October 1, 2004 |
Mystery at Blackbeards Cove (Blackbeard, #1) Reviews
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This was really enjoyable. I liked the pirate theme as a whole, and the search for treasure and BLackbeard's ghost. What I didn't like was Stefanie, and her continuous whining. I've never been so annoyed with any character in my whole life of reading. All she cared about was diamonds and emeralds, and when the kids would be looking through the trunks she would be standing in the background whining some more about how the kids were taking so long and about the fact there were no diamonds and emeralds. I probably would have given this a five, but Stefenie's character is preventeing me from doing so.
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This book is a middle grades version of Pirates of the Caribbean mixed with some Indiana Jones. It is a chapter book for middle grade children who love adventure, pirates, with some supernatural mixed in.
On Ocracoke Island in South Carolina we meet our heroes and their mentor/friend Mrs. McNemmish, who is a descendant of Blackbeard. She makes the children, Stefanie, Mark, Billy and Daniel promise to bury her at sea. They will then get a key to unlock Blackbeard's treasure. Of course they comply with this request but not with their parents agreement. They break into the church, steal her coffin, accidentally set fire to the church, fall of the bellfry almost drown and that is just the beginning of their adventure. Finding secret tunnels, skeletons, bats, getting bit by spiders and finding treasure chests are all part of the adventure. It is told in a way that catches your attention and you want to keep reading to see what happens. While all this is going on, we meet up with Blackbeard and his crew on the Queen Anne's Revenge as ghosts on a ghost ship. There is a fun sequence in the book where they actually get to attack another boat but I will let the reader find out about that part.
The reason why I did not give this book 5 stars were the character of Stefanie. She was whiny, actually rather mean to the boys and they placated her and constantly told her how brave she was. It really gave the one female character in the book a rather sad personality which gave me a bad taste.
There were not a lot of illustrations in this book but the ones that were in it were black and white and contained just enough detail and information to support the story and give people some vision of the characters and their situation. I recommend this book to elementary school libraries as well as junior classroom libraries. A fun, adventurous read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. -
Mystery at Blackbeard’s Cove is a fun adventure. The author did a lot of research for this book and brought history to life. There are some slow parts of the book but they don’t detract from the story the author is telling. Children will be drawn to this book because, really, who doesn’t love a good pirate tale?!
The story is written well, full of details easily visualized. The setting is perfect for a pirate mystery, and I thought I was there. The characters are delightful and their adventure exciting and fun. I was engaged from the very beginning and loved everything about this mystery. -
Title: Mystery Blackbeard's Cove
Author: Audrey Penn
Illustrators: Joshua Miller & Philip Howard
Publisher: Tanglewood
Published: 10-31-2013
ISBN: 10: 0974930318
ISBN-13: 978-0974930312
E-Book ASIN: B001UHOUOY
Pages: 368
Genre: Young Adult
Sub-Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Paranormal
Reviewed For NetGalley & Tanglewood
Reviewed by: DelAnne
Stars : 4.5
Set in North Carolina's Ocracoke Island, where Theodora "Mrs Theo" McNemmish. at 96z , is the undisputed matriarch of the island, as well as the greatest storyteller. Zeek Beacon is a modern day pirate of the lowest class who threatens Mrs McNemmish if she does not tell him where the hidden treasure of Blackbeard is. Theodora has been telling the stories about the treasure of Blackbeard to the Island children for generations. The latest recipients of this wealth of folk lore are Daniel Garrish, Billy O'Neal, Mark Tillet and Stephanie Austin. The for teenagers come upon Beacon threatening Mrs. Theo and are threatened as well.
After Beacon leaves Mrs. Theo has them sit and listen as she tells them of the treasure she found years ago. The treasure of her ancestor, Blackbeard, as well as some very special seeds. She told them how one day she was going to be a pirate side by side with Blackbeard himself on the ghost ship Queen Anne's Revenge. When asked if she didn't need to be dead first, she agreed that was so and that she needed to be buried at sea. She then promised that whoever buries her at sea would be as rich as Midas and hold the wealth of the world in their hands. As the children walk home the boys agree to make sure Mrs. Theo's wish to be buried at sea is granted, but Stephanie wants no part of it.
With 24 hours Mrs. Theo is dead and the children come up with a plan to steal her body from the church before her funeral and get Stephanie agree to help. With many obstacles and nearly getting caught numerous times they accomplish the task and Mrs McNemmish is granted her wish and joins the crew of Blackbeard on Queen Anne's Revenge. That's when their trouble really begins. Everyone is looking for the person or persons who burglarized and cased fire damage to the church and stole a body. Zeek Beacon wants to know where Mrs. Theo has hidden Blackbeard's treasure and does not care whom he has to hurt to get it. Follow, Daniel, Billy, Mark and Stephanie as they search the clues Mrs. Theo left for them and try to stay one step ahead of Zeek. Not to mention keep everyone from finding out what happened to Mrs. Theo.
This is a mystery for all of us who ever played pirates or dream of being one. The child in all of us will enjoy Mystery of Blackbeard's Cove and crave more when we come to the end. Lucky for us all Ms. Penn has the next two books in the series ready for us to read so the adventure does not have to end. This is a series for any age ten or above, any sex that loves a good mystery and any voracious reader that loves a good story that will hold your interest from start to finish. Enjoy yourselves today.
My rating of "Mystery Blackbeard's Cove" is 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Amazon Link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UHOUOY/...
B&N Link:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/myst...
Books-A-Million Link:
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Myster...
Google Play Link: Not Available
Indigo Link:
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/...
GoodReads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Kobo Link: Not Available
The Reading Room Link:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...
Twitter Link:
https://twitter.com/DelAnne531/status... -
This book is the best upper elementary/middle grade reads I’ve picked up so far this year! I apologize up front by the vast number of !!!’s that you’re going to find in this review. It was just that great.
This book centers around 4 friends who band together to bury their mentor (can you have a pirate mentor,?? Because, if so, I WANT ONE!) at sea. After kidnapping the body and doing the deed, the read adventure begins as the foursome work together to solve of case of Blackbeard’s missing treasure.
There are so many things to love about this book, I don’t know where to start so here is a list (in no certain order) of the top 5 things I loved (although I easily could have come up with a list of top ten!)
1. I loved the setting. Having visited the Outer Banks before, I felt like I was right back there. The author made those islands come alive for me again from the dialect to the places names to all the little things that make that part of the US so unique.
2. I loved the main characters! Everyone in the book ceased being just a character for me right out of the gate. Each one was painted with such a wealth of emotion and detail, I just know they had to all be based on a real person.
3. I loved the adventure! This book reminded me so much of those adventures from my youth. Images of Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island and Swiss Family Robinson played in my mind the whole time. Finally, a book for young people that will inspire them to put down the remote, the phone, the controllers and yes, even the book!, and go outside for an adventure. I remembered those books from my youth for the sheer adventure and our publishing world is sadly lacking these kinds of books. This book is one I would recommend for those summer days when kids don’t want to leave the house. This will inspire future treasure hunters and maybe even some pirates. This is one I would recommend to teachers everywhere—read-alouds or read- alongs—the whole class will love it.
4. I loved the mystery! There are so many small details that came along like dropping bread crumbs along a trail. I loved following along just to see where the trail would take me. And, it took me place I’ve never been before! Hard to do when you’ve read as much as me. Secret tunnels under the ocean, pirate ships, false bottoms of trunks and a tree with a basement—amazing. Could just one person make all that up?
5. I loved the history! Call me a sucker, but anything with a beheaded pirate and missing diamonds is enough to keep me glued to the seat. To know that so much of this is true make it just that much better. For those kids who love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, this is sure to be a winner. I want to revisit the area just to walk around and soak up all that amazing history.
This is definitely a book I will recommend to all those couch potato kids out there; to all the Pirate lovers; to all of us who years for an old-fashioned adventure story complete with ghosts, skeletons, thunderstorms and surprise endings. Hhm, maybe that doesn’t just apply to kids, after all! -
A Ripping Treasure Hunt, With Some Elegant Touches
There are a lot of middle grade pirate treasure hunt books out there, and many of them are entertaining and rewarding. This book struck me as special because it just seems to have much more going on than usual.
The other books I'm thinking about follow a pretty settled pattern. A group of kids find a clue - a map, or artifact, or book, or rhyming directions, or inscribed trinket - and then race a bunch of bad guys to find the treasure. That's fine and that's a perfectly honored premise.
This book jazzes that up, though, with a strong sense of place and history, a touch of what, (for want of a better term), feels like middle grade magical realism, and patches of really elegant writing. There are parts of this book that actually are "thrilling".
The North Carolina coast, the hero kids' island, the historical Blackbeard, and the practices and behavior of real pirates, are all treated with care and with attention to accurate detail. We're not just running around generic caves and tunnels chasing the tracks of cartoonish pirates. This feels much more realistic, and that adds a great deal to the reading experience.
Along the same lines, through dream sequences, tale telling, and some creepy scene setting there are touches of the eerie and ghostly that fit nicely within the otherwise straightforward treasure hunt narrative. This gives the book a depth and weight that is unusual. This is complemented and enhanced by some very evocative yet restrained writing. Early on there is a dream sequence in which the elderly Blackbeard relative who sets the adventure in motion is drawn to Blackbeard's ghost ship. It is powerful, colorful and touching all at once. Again, this is way above the running-around-in-caves standard.
So, we get a great pirate treasure adventure and a bunch of bonus features all wrapped up in a ripping package. That's a pretty nice find for your pirate reader.
Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book. -
2.5/5
This was an older book I found while poking around on Netgalley and with my deep love for the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, I decided to request it. The beginning was promising with a pirate raid occurring.
However we then shift to the present and I felt the story slooooow down. There is set up around the widow Mrs. McNemmish who wants to be buried at sea. A group of four children are enlisted to ensure that this last wish is carried out: Billy, Daniel, Mark, and Stefanie.
Now I know I usually love books with my name but a. it's spelled wrong and b. Stefanie was annoying. She whined a lot and never seemed committed to the spirit of adventure like the boys were. Mark didn't speak although he could communicate a lot through facial expressions and gestures and I found the other two boys indistinguishable. So it's safe to say that I didn't click with the characters.
But what about the plot? Although quite a few events are detailed, I felt like this book dragged. It took me ages to read it and I ended up stopping and reading something else more than a few times before buckling down to finish. Why didn't I DNF? Well, I try to give any book I receive for a review a strong chance. By the time, I was considering stopping, I was already pretty far in and I wanted to know what happened, just for curiosity's sake. I will say that I thought the book improved with more excitement near the end. But there was so much that bored me in the beginning that I almost didn't stay for that good stuff.
Overall: I could not connect with the characters and felt the plot dragged for about the first half. While it did pick up, I was never fully immersed in the story.
Cover: I do like the skull-very piratey even though I feel like that aspect wasn't strongly emphasized in this book. -
As juvenile fiction goes, this book would be on the top of my list for recommendations. It’s a great story that would entertain boys, girls, young and old. The tale centers around four children – Stephanie, Mark, Daniel, and Billy. They are not exactly the best of friends, more like family. Their favorite pastime is visiting with Mrs. McNemmish. Theodora McNemmish is descended from Blackbeard the pirate and loves to fill her visits with stories of plunder and treasure. Theodora is quite elderly and, one day, asks the children to bury her at sea and in return she will give them treasure.
When Mrs. McNemmish does pass away, the children set out to fulfill their promise. Theodora is buried at sea so she might join Blackbeard on his ghost ship. However, finding the treasure was harder than it looked. Not only did they have to search but against a cunning, evil man who wants the treasure for himself. Theodora hasn’t left the children without help. She and Blackbeard assist from the beyond. The result is a thrilling humorous tale.
Audrey Penn has written a fun story steeped in history. Readers won’t feel lectured, nor do the lessons interfere with the tale. I do think there were bits of the story that dragged on slightly and places where the information given was far too much but that had less to do with the history and more to do with trying to tie up too many loose ends. I did enjoy this story and I will warn for juvenile – it’s 350 plus pages. -
From ReadingWithMo:
http://www.readingwithmo.com/2011/09/...
Author Audrey Penn gives us a wonderful pirate story with Mystery at Blackbeard's Cove. Four teens suffer the loss of an elderly friend, Mrs. McNemmish. They work hard to carry out her last wishes and find themselves trapped in an extensive tunnel by a descendant of one of Blackbeard's crew. Can the group of friends really find Blackbeard's treasure?
I particularly liked that the story takes place on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I vacation there quite often, as do millions of people, and that added some intimate familiarity for me. It is also a great setting for pirate adventures. Blackbeard's last battle took place just off the coast of Ocracoke Island.
This one has that magical quality that I remember from all the great adventures I read about in my youth. Hidden passageways, treasure, false bottoms, all the makings of a fantastic tale. I devoured the book in just a few hours. It was like being along with the group of friends as they went on their journey.
Mystery at Blackbeard's Cove is intended for young adults, but if you can remember a time when you were fascinated by daring adventures, this one is for you too. -
I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I didn't really notice that it was a children's book but it was obvious once I started reading it and I still enjoyed it. I quickly found myself wrapped up in it and couldn't read it fast enough. It was a good story with wonderful interesting characters and I loved the island setting. The characters are lively and colorful and beautifully described. Parts of the book remind me of what it was like to be a child again where you had something fantastic to believe in and kind of created an adventure out of it. The children were great, and it was so nice to see how thoughtful and caring they were of not only each other but of Miss Theo both while she was alive and after she had passed away. They were determined to do what they thought was right and wouldn't give up. I am going to have my daughter read this as well. It kind of had a little history lesson in it as well and had great details of pirates and the Underground Railroad. Very well written.
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Audrey Penn, author of The Kissing Hand, has offered a great adventure for older children that combines suspense with discovery of pirates and history. When a group of children make a promise to an old friend that they will make sure she gets the burial at sea that she wants, they have no idea what kind of escapades they will find themselves in. Kidnapping coffins, a church fire, secret tunnels and skeletons are just some of the challenges they find themselves facing. Will it all be worth it, and can they find the legendary treasure of Blackbeard himself?
Mystery at Blackbeard's Cove offered lots of adventures and still gave me a surprise or two. Being a NC resident, I loved the setting of Ocracoke Island, part of the Outer Banks. Penn has successfully built a contemporary mystery that brings to life the interesting history of this amazing location. Great read offering lots and fun, and its squeaky clean! -
12/27/2010 ** I knew I had to read this when the publisher told me the story of how the author researched the opening scenes, recruiting local teens to help her act out a church break-in, the theft of a coffin, and an attempt to sink the coffin in a storm-tossed ocean.
I wasn't disappointed. I was already thoroughly 'into' the story when the four teens got locked into a secret tunnel. After several skeletons, a pounding storm that shook the ceiling, and a fire, I knew I'd have to stay up late to finish reading - would they make it out? What were all the adults doing - surely they'd noticed the kids were missing?
A particularly engaging part of the story is the way that the ghost world of Blackbeard and the modern world of Ocracoke Island intertwined, both adding to the suspense of this tale. -
When you have pirates,treasure,ghosts and hidden tunnels and then add 4 children to the mix you get a fun-filled and whimsical story. Widow Nemmish asks the children to bury her at sea when the times comes and they agree thus sending the children on a wondrous ans at times dangerous adventure.
I would recommend this book to young and old readers. The characters are well-written and believable, and the legends and folk-lore were well researched and quite interesting. Although this is a children's book I truly enjoyed reading it.
Thank s to Net Galley and Tanglewood publishers for letting me read this entertaining book. -
I received this as an arc from net galley in exchange for an honest review.
Seton Oaracoke island in the outer banks of North carolina, approaching Halloween festivities. Find Billy, Daniel, Stephanie, and Mark exhausted from their trip to sea to give their eccentric friend Mrs Nemmish the pirate burial she insisted on.
Wow. Absolutely fantastic read.
CNPID.
I loved the story and the characters.
I was gripped from start to finish.
This is a must read and I would highly recommend this book. -
This a great mystery for 10 years on up. If you love pirates, treasure, mystery and adventure, this is the book for you. It's one of those stories I would have loved to read as a kid. It's a story of friendship and never giving up.
http://dragonflowersandbooks.blogspot... -
I first read this when I was nine, and the first impression I got was that it was for teens and up. The characters are slightly crude and parts of the story may be frightening to little kids. The plot's a little confusing, and there are some things in the book that really don't seem to be necessary.
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Great middle grade read.
If you are interested in pirates, cival war, ghosts and magic then this book is for you.
This book is great for all ages.
I couldn't put this book down.
Highly recommend this book. -
This is a fun read for those beginning to read larger chapter books. I love the history tie-in and how the story is full of mystery and suspense. This was definitely one of those I couldn't put down books.
I received this complimentary book from NetGalley for my honest review. -
It was a good mystery but an easy read. More of a 5th-6th grade read.
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This is a really, really good book that is realistinc fiction. I deals with treasures, maps, etc. about Blackbeard. It takes place on an island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
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Lovedd it ! Read it like four times ! I wanna go to that Island Now! :)
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Chapters were too long. Boys and those who enjoy adventure would enjoy reading this book.
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3 STARS
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).
A cute but at times lagging children's fantasy novel. -
There are some rough spots with the writing in this book but the story and the research are superb and I couldn't put it down. This was exactly the adventure I always dreamed of when I was a kid.
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It was alright, I suppose. Kinda got bored towards the middle, but it was decent.
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I love mystery's and pirates.
