The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists [Paperback]

For some reason when you read this book, the stereotypical pirates voice comes into your mind and you cannot get it out! But this is a good thing, I promise....Oo-Arr Jim Lad....

This is the first in a series of books, by Gideon Defoe where the pirates are goodies as much as baddies. I have made an assumption that this book is aimed at children of around 9-12 years, it is certainly pitched as such in some well know book store. Whoever it is aimed at this is a book that warrants being read out loud to children and as an adult enjoyed just as much out loud or with no noise at all. The witty humour that Defoe puts in the book is as relevant for adults as it is educational for children.

The Pirate Captain and his " rag-tag" crew are bored after adventures so when an arch rival changes his mind and advises them of a ship full of gold, they set sail on the high seas. They sight the ship they believe to hold the treasure and mount an attack, only to find that there is no treasure to be had, in fact there is only scientific treasures on board. The budding new scientist, a young Charles Darwin embraces their enthusiasm after an initial scare when they arrive. They will help in his quest with the Man-panzee and to challenge those who think differently about evolution, whilst at the same time saving his brother.

Do not fret, this book is in no way into theorising about such things, everything is a given and anything you did not know, is helpfully explained by the author. Great for the kids, rather tongue in cheek for the adults.

The book is full of humour from the names of the pirates; the pirate with the scarf; the pirate who wears green; the albino pirate; the pirate with a nut allergy. Everyone is welcome in this pirate world. All of them have their place in the adventure and will they be able to use their Pirate skill to save the day?

Only one way to find out - go and buy the book.

A subtle sort of humour which will leave you with a wry smile. Read it yourself, read it with your children and read it again!

4¼ Out of 5
The pirates are getting bored of lounging about on beaches, choosing between yummy fruits and seeing the native women wandering about topless. Therefore, the Pirate Captain decides it's time to set sail... for an adventure!
But after accidently attacking Charles Darwin's ship, the pirates agree to help the desperate young scientist, and go to London. They have to rescue Charles' brother from a diabolical Bishop and get Mister Bobo, the Man-panzee, accepted in high society. And once on land, they are distracted by the zoo, Coco Pops and a Pirate - sorry, Pork Convention. To make their trip worse, there are a series of horrible murders, and disappearing women. Quite the adventure!
I love pirates, mainly thanks to Pirates of the Caribbean! But I wasn't expecting to LOVE this! And I really did. It had a totally juvenile yet grown up sense of humour, that I think both young and old could enjoy. And how can you not fall in love with a bonkers book with bonkers characters and a wonderfully bonkers plot? It was just laugh-out-loud funny and totally appealed to my somewhat immature sense of humour. Bring on Book Two please! ... OR walk the plank!
The Pirate Captain (and yes, that is the only name given to him!) was respected by all his pirates, was "married to the sea" (and not because he couldn't get a girlfriend or was a "gay pirate") and had a fantastic beard! Bonkers, dramatic and, well, bonkers, he was just a hilarious character - one who had me constantly laughing. A dumb genius, if you ask me!
Now, cast from your mind the distinguished Charles Darwin from the science books! Meet the young, shy Charles, here to present to you the Man-panzee! No theory of evolution for this Darwin, just a theory that a properly trained money, in the right clothes, is indistinguishable from a human gentleman. Not the one you remember? Well, me either. But it was hilarious!
The Bishop of Oxford: a diabolical man, who was even worse with women than the pirate with a scarf. Which is saying something!
The writing was brilliant! It was totally addictive and laugh-out-loud funny. Written in a way both teens and adults can enjoy, it's a great book for everyone! And so funny! Somehow - God know how - Defoe has managed to take what ought to be gruesome and ruthless and turn it into something hilarious and bonkers. I have no idea how, but it was amazing! And I just adored the footnotes - some seemed to be real facts, others were just ridiculously funny! Wonderfully simple, with a not-so-subtle-at-times adult humour, the writing was just perfect!
The plot was... well, bonkers. In its insanity, it was impossible to tell where the story was going. Unpredictable and pure insanity, the plot was as addictive as the sense of humour! I wanted to know how Darwin's Man-panzee would work out. I wanted to see what the diabolical Bishop would get up to. I wanted to know how the Pirate Caption kept his beard so shiny! Well, maybe not that last one. But the story (and the silly pirate fights) were bananas and ever amusing.
Overall, this book was just totally bonkers! The characters, the writing, the plot... the fact that the pirate with gout somehow managed to survive being "run through" with a sword. The pirate habits and pastimes and bonkers arguments just had me cracking up. And the variety of pirates, from "the pirate dressed in green", "the albino pirate" to the "pirate with a nut allergy", all of which were hilarious and, well, bonkers. (Are you starting to grasp the general theme of this book?)
A funny, bonkers, light-hearted read of silliness. The Pirates was an utterly addictive book, about dim and insane pirates with a passion for ADVENTURE... and ham. And mermaids who put out. Overall, this was a fun read that had me laughing out loud and hooked to every page. (Get it? Hooked? Because they're pirates? I'll stop making jokes now.) A brilliantly bonkers book, I would definitely pick up Book Two!

I don't really know where to start writing a review for Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. When I was sent a review copy I have to admit that the cover didn't really catch my attention, in fact I doubt I'd have picked it up if I hadn't realised that the book is the inspiration for the new Aardman animation. As soon as I saw the movie trailer I knew that I had to read the book and I'm really glad that I did.

What other book are you going to find that includes pirates, Charles Darwin, the elephant man, a man-panzee and a dodgy Bishop? The Pirate Captain and his loyal crew are getting a bit bored of sitting around enjoying their spoils and are looking for a new adventure. They get a little more than they bargained for when they raid a boat full of scientists and end up agreeing to help Charles Darwin. In an adventure that takes them from the Galapagos Islands to the heart of London they must try to foil the plans of the devious Bishop and if they're lucky figure out who is behind the spate of murders before one of their own becomes the latest victim.

Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists is a completely crazy but laugh out loud funny read. You'll have no hope of figuring out where the plot will take you next as it wanders off in completely unexpected directions. Amusing, fun and light hearted this book doesn't take itself seriously and at under 200 pages can easily be read in a couple of hours. I'm looking forward to my next adventure with the Pirate Captain and his crew!