Chester the (Almost) Pirate by Ann P. Borrmann; Illustrated by Tracee Guzman

“Chester the (Almost) Pirate is an adventurous story of a boy named Chester and his First Mate, the Octopus called “Roger”, on their quest to become pirates. “

Review by Rayleigh Setser

Chester is enrolled in Captain Grey-Fogg’s pirate school and, by hook or by crook, is determined to become a pirate! After picking out a first mate, Chester begins week-long classes in the art of piracy. Things don’t ever seem to go right for Chester in any of his pirate classes. Will he even earn the coveted pirate eye-patch? At the end of the week, he gets an unexpected surprise when one of his mishaps changes everything. Pirate-lovers of all ages arrrrgh sure to enjoy reading about Chester’s misadventures!

I received this book for free from the author/publisher. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.

Chester the (Almost) Pirate is an adventurous story of a boy named Chester and his First Mate, the Octopus called "Roger", on their quest to become pirates.

This story is very fun and silly! Chester and Roger complete tasks during their pirate school that takes them through the steps of turning into pirates. They mess up, they fix their mistakes, they laugh, and just have a grand ole time! The fonts used in the book makes the reader want to read with emphasis and fun, and the illustrations inspire kids to be creative.

The only hesitation that I have in reading the book to kids is that while in pirate school, they learn, "Pirates slurp and loot. They burp and toot. They never say 'sorry' or 'excuse me'." And though this is funny and may just be a point for laughs, I do see some young pirate-lovers adopting the behavior and undoing the "manners" lessons of their parents. So, if you have a little pirate on your hands, it may be worth emphasizing the need to say "sorry" and "excuse me" outside of the pirate's life.