The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, & Found by Martin W. Sandler

Summary: "The exciting true story of the captaincy, wreck, and discovery of the Whydah — the only pirate ship ever found — and the incredible mysteries it revealed." - Amazon

I have a secret love for all things pirates.  They speak to me for a variety of reasons (umm...Johnny Depp, y'all), but the major one is the democracy and freedom one could obtain while manning a ship.  Each man received equal shares, equal treatment, and equal vote under the articles of piracy, no matter where they were from.  Yes, they could be absolutely brutal.  Yes, some were forced to be pirates against their will.  And while the captain of the Whydah (pronounced wid-da), Black Sam, could be and do both of those things, for the most part, he would plunder and release - doing no harm to those merchants (or their ships) who handed over their goods without fight.

This book is written for middle-school, so it does lack some details I would have liked to have.  The writing is clear, the story is good, and the included maps and illustrations help the reader understand the life and goals of pirates.  Overall, not the best, but it did hold my interest and have some good information.

4/5

176 pages

Here's a picture of some of The Whydah's pirate booty for your pleasure. :)

And my favorite pirate. :)