Girls belong at Miss Pimm's Finishing School for Delicate Ladies, learning to waltz, faint, and curtsy. There's only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.
She enjoys defying authority, and she already owns a rather pointy sword.
Fans of Tanith Lee’s Piratica (BCCB 11/04) and those who like tongue-in-cheek pirate yarns may want to sign on with Hilary and company.Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. Frequent missives to and from various characters and excerpts from the VNHLP’s guide to “Treasure Hunting for Beginners” provide additional clever humor. The setting, though, in which piracy exists as a semi-legitimate enterprise and the pirates themselves are more colorful than cruel, is a whole lot of fun, as are the endearing gargoyle and the surprisingly resourceful governess. Can Hilary and the crew find the treasure first, and will doing so destroy her relationship with her father? Characterization is generally slender, and the plotting rambles, slowing the pace down more than a madcap adventure can really support.
Soon Hilary and the crew learn that Admiral Westfield and Oliver are also searching for the treasure, with more nefarious plans in mind. The mission of the Pigeon is simple-find the local hidden stash of magical objects and redistribute them to the common folk. Determined not to let her young charge go amongst pirates alone, Hilary’s governess, Miss Greyson, also tags along, as does one of Hilary’s father’s naval charges, the sneering Oliver Hilary is further aided by the company of her beloved talking stone gargoyle. Hilary remains determined, however, and she eventually bolts from school to join Captain Jasper Fletcher on his pirate ship, the Pigeon. Westfield to Miss Pimm’s Finishing School for Delicate Ladies. Refused entrance to The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, Hilary Westfield is instead shipped off by the Admiral and Mrs.
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