Reviews

Molly Rogers, Pirate Girl, by Kasia Matyjaszek, Cornelia Funke

mattobin's review

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4.0

What great fun! Captain Firebeard has terrorised the seas for years with his motley crew until one day he boards a ship with a determined, feriocious and cunning pirate girl, Molly Rogers. In looking for a ransome, the captain asks for the whereabouts of her parents but Molly points out that if she were to tell him who her mother is, then he'd quake in his boots.
I liked how this book did not take itself seriously in the slightest yet dealt with something important. The introduction to the pirate crew and Molly's cunning in out-witting them is a wonderful, subtle celebration of dismantling those patriarchal walls in a humorous way (especially when he mum pops up later on) but, what I was particularly taken with was the broad representation of people of colour throughout in such a normative manner - all wonderfully captured by Matyjaszek's illustration (which are warm and funny at the same time).
As with all of Barrington Stoke's books, it is dyslexia-friendly in its layout, font and paperstock. A great one to read out loud.


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