Mystery at Blackbeard's Cove

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Pub Date 31 Oct 2004 | Archive Date 21 Oct 2016

Description

Seton Ocracoke 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. But now they are trapped in a tunnel, locked in by Zeek, local scoundrel and direct descendent of Israel Hands, who is racing against them to find the hidden treasure. Is the treasure's location on the map that Zeek took from them, or could it be in the very tunnel where they are tripping over skeletons and strugglingto find another way out? Luckily, they have allies - ghostly allies of Blackbeard and Mrs. Nemmish herself, who has been taken on board the ghost ship Queen's Anne's Revenge. This rollicking tale magically combines this unruly group of youngsters, Blackbeard's ghost, secret tunnels, skeletons, hidden treasure, a very mysterious inheritance, the Bermuda Triangle, the Underground Railroad, and a hurricane hitting the Outer Banks in a page-turning delight, full of mystery, laughs, suspense, and adventure.

Thisbook also captures much of the essence and rich history of this fascinating location. After 30 years of regular visits to Ocracoke Island, the author has come to know the place and the people, and has enriched this fun tale with real characters, locations, lore, and legends passed down through the generations of residents from the days when Blackbeard had his hideout there. This book is a history lesson of the greatest kind - with the past and the present wonderfully and entertainingly intertwined.

Seton Ocracoke 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...


Advance Praise

Committedfans of pirate tales will enjoy this, along with girls who like books featuring female characters who aren't afraid to face adventure head on."- Booklist

Committedfans of pirate tales will enjoy this, along with girls who like books featuring female characters who aren't afraid to face adventure head on."- Booklist


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781933718095
PRICE $8.95 (USD)
PAGES 349

Average rating from 15 members


Featured Reviews

This is a wonderful children's book but I very much enjoyed as an adult. It was a fun story with great characters and takes place in a wonderful setting on an island. The sense of community is awesome to watch and wish that my town felt like. There was a lot of adventure and despite the obstacles the four children face, there is a sense of optimism and hope. This is a great book for children where they see how driven the children are to accomplish what they think is right as well as how they look out for each other and are considerate. Their love for Miss Thea is amazing and their beliefs are strong to carry out her last wishes. This story really was good and I enjoyed how there were historical elements, both with pirating and the Underground Railroad. It was truly a unique and enchanting book.

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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!

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/163233701

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www.iknowgoodbooks.blogspot.com; GoodReads; WeRead; and Amazon
Run date May 23, 2011

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!

The book centers around 4 friends who band together to bury their mentor (can you have a pirate mentor?? Because, if so, I WANT ONR!) at sea. After kidnapping the body and doing the deed, the real adventure begins as the foursome work together to solve the case of Blackbeard's missing treasure.

There are so many things to love about the 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 top 10!)

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 place names to all the other 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 places 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 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 makes 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 yearn for an old-fashoned adventure story complete with ghosts, skeletons, thunderstorms and surprise endings. Hhm, maybe that doesn't just apply to kids, after all!

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