Magic Marks the Spot

Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors. She particularly enjoys defying authority, and she already owns a rather pointy sword. There’s only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let girls join their ranks of scourges and scallywags. 

The world believes that girls belong at Miss Primm’s Finishing School for Delicate Ladies, learning to waltz, faint, and curtsy. But Hilary and her dearest friend, the gargoyle, have no use for such frivolous lessons. They are pirates! 

To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary answers a curious advertisement for a pirate crew. Suddenly, she finds herself swept up in a seaworthy adventure that may or may not involve a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn’t exist, a rogue governess who insists on propriety, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas. 

Magic Marks the Spot is a fast-paced adventure that focuses on Hilary, a girl who longs to join the The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates (VNHLP). Using the book Treasure Island as her guide, Hilary and her gargoyle set off to join a pirate crew. But before she sets sail, Hilary’s governess tracks her down and insists on joining the crew. The creative cast of characters has plenty of unique quirks that keep the story interesting. Instead of portraying pirates as dishonorable villains, Jasper, captain of the pirate ship Pigeon, is most nearly honorable: he wants to redistribute magic objects to keep high society from abusing their power.   

Adventure-loving readers will find Hilary’s travels fascinating. While there are plenty of pirate fights, the book’s humorous tone continues throughout the action-packed fight scenes. As Hilary learns to be a real pirate at last, readers will root for her as she improves her skills. The fact that Hilary is fighting her evil father, Admiral Westfield, gives each battle an even more satisfying win, especially because Admiral Westfield underestimates Hilary’s abilities and is often patronizing. In the end, Hilary proves that she is a capable pirate and becomes an important part of Jasper’s crew.    

To give readers additional information about Hilary’s world, the book includes excerpts from several newspapers including The Augusta Scuttlebutt, “where high society turns for scandal.” There are also letters and the Official VNHLP guide to help readers understand the complexities of the story. While many of the excerpts are interesting, they slow down the plot, which drags towards the middle. Despite this, most of the world-building creates a clear division between pirates and High Society and allows readers to understand the ridiculous expectations for girls. 

Jump aboard the Pigeon and take a ride into Hilary’s world where you’ll find action, adventure, and some very likable characters. Magic Marks the Spot will entertain readers with humor as it leads readers on a suspenseful trip where danger is behind every corner. Seafaring readers who want even more pirate-related action should also read Lintang and the Pirate Queen by Tamara Moss, Piratica by Tanith Lee, and the Starcatchers Series by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson. 

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• During dinner, Claire upsets another student, who then uses magic to punish Claire. “The fish sticks on Claire’s plate started to wobble. They squirmed. . . they formed a tidy line. Hilary stared at the regiment of fish sticks in horror as, one by one, they leaped off the plate and smacked themselves against Claire’s forehead. . .By the time the assault reached its end, Claire was dripping with crumbs and smelling quite a bit like Queensport Harbor herself.”  
• Charlie, one of the pirate crew, is a young boy whose parents were killed. “The navy sank their ship with no apologies.” Later, Claire finds out it was her father who was responsible for sinking the ship. 
• The queen writes a letter to Admiral Westfield, telling him to take a voyage because the royal treasurer is in the infirmary. “He is confined there for the moment because, as you may be aware, he was bashed over the head with a priceless porcelain vase whilst guarding the Royal Treasury last week.” 
• Hilary and her friends try to go into a pirate establishment, but the guard refuses to let them enter. When Hilary argues with the man “a wall of air hit Hilary hard in the stomach and sent her staggering back into the street. She landed on the cobblestones a good ten feet from the Scallywag’s Den, and Charlie crashed to the ground beside her.” 
• Hilary’s father, Admiral Westfield, and his men board a pirate ship that Hilary and her governess are on. Hilary saw, “Miss Greyson clutching her golden crochet hook in one hand and giving a naval officer a swift kick in the pants. . . the officer sailed across the deck and splashed into the sea.” 
• During a battle, Hilary faces off with a young officer who “was not much better at dueling than Hilary was, but several of his wild blows came dangerously close to her head. . . When the officer’s sword whizzed past her ear again, she clutched her hands to her chest, gave a dramatic gasp, and sank into a simple swoon. . .” The officer put down his sword and Hilary “leaped up and pointed her own blade at his throat.” The man jumps into the sea to escape.  
• Another officer, Orange Mustache, swipes at Hilary. “Her left cheek stung where the officer’s sword had grazed it . . . As Hilary dodged Orange Mustache’s blade and attempted to whack him with her own, she performed several waltz steps. . . Orange Mustache stood in front of her, with his sword at her throat: he had her cornered . . . Hilary struck him in the head with a well-aimed tin of beets . . . Hilary tossed a second tin at him just to make sure he’d stay unconscious.” When the Admiral discovers that Hilary is on the ship, he orders the pirate to take her back to finishing school. He and his men then leave the ship. The battle is described over six pages. 
• While on Gunpowder Island, a fight breaks out between Admiral Westfield and a group of pirates. “Many of them didn’t seem to care whose side they were on, and they brandished their weapons at anyone who happened to be within reach.” Hilary, Charlie, and the gargoyle use the diversion to escape and look for treasure. 
• Miss Primm plants a fake treasure. When Hilary and her friends find the treasure, Miss Primm uses magic to restrain them. “Jasper dropped his sword as though it had burned him. Charlie reached for his own sword in response, but his arm froze in midair, and Miss Greyson muttered a pirate curse as her hand came to a halt. . .” Jasper and Miss Greyson are taken to the dungeon. Charlie and Hilary are taken back to Miss Primm’s finishing school. 
• When Miss Primm was young, she fell in love with an honest man. Scoundrels wanted to take all Miss Primm’s treasure for themselves, so they went after Miss Primm’s love. “The scoundrels came for him when he was out in his balloon, with no protection to speak of. They conjured up a fearsome wind, and that was the end of it.” Miss Primm’s love died. 
• Hilary, Claire, and Charlie find hidden treasure. As they debate what to do with it, Admiral Westfield appears. Charlie “grabbed a porcelain-handled letter opener from Miss Pimm’s desk and held it out like a sword as he approached Admiral Westfield. Charlie was quick, but the admiral was quicker: he lunged forward and caught hold of Charlie’s arm, twisting it backward and holding it there until Charlie yelped with pain. . .” 
• To get help, Claire threatens to scream, but the admiral stops her with magic. “Claire opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She stood quite still for a moment, clenched her fists, and let loose a string of perfectly silent words that Hilary guessed were not at all complimentary to Admiral Westfield.”  
• When the admiral tries to use the gargoyle’s magic, the gargoyle “sank his teeth into Admiral Westfield’s arm. . .Hilary dove headfirst into Admiral Westfield’s legs. The admiral shouted and cursed, and the three of them crashed to the floor. Charlie pinned Admiral Westfield’s feet down with his good arm, Claire grabbed Admiral Westfield’s hands. . .”

Drugs and Alcohol  

• The adult pirates occasionally drink grog. 
• When Hilary is accepted into the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, Miss Greyson “uncorked her bottle of grog, pouring a glass for herself and a few sips for Hilary.”

Language  

• Several times, the book refers to someone cursing. For example, Hilary’s father let out “a barrage of nautical-sounding curses.” Later he shouted, “words that were impolite even to think about in high society.” 

• Pirates are often referred to as scallywags, scoundrels, and rapscallions. Other name-calling includes rat, scum, and fiend. 
• Blast is used as an exclamation, but not frequently. For example, when the gargoyle bites Admiral Westfield, he yells, “What the devil? Your blasted pet rock sank his fangs into me!” 
• Drat is used as an exclamation several times. In addition, the gargoyle says, “Would you put down that dratted coin? It’s making my ears tingle. . .” 
• A pirate calls a group of men “idiots.” 
• Several times, Admiral Westfield calls a woman a “meddling old biddy.”  

Supernatural 

• One of the main characters is a magic gargoyle who has been “living on a wall for two hundred years.” The gargoyle is supposed to use his magic to protect people. 
• Magic items are made from a substance “similar to gold” but “when a piece of magic is held in the hand, it obeys the holder’s spoken request. It is said to draw its power from the user herself, and only a few individuals are powerful enough to use it in great quantities. . .”  
• Hilary was talking to her father, when suddenly “one of the porthole windows. . . was growing larger and larger. . . It swallowed up the surrounding windows and half the wall besides.” The glass vanishes. “Then, all at once, every drawer in the admiral’s study flew open, and every door burst from its hinges.” As Hilary and her father watch the strange events, suddenly a scroll “traveled out the enormous window and into the waiting, black-gloved hand of the tall person on the lawn. . . Then with a great shudder, the porthole window collapsed back to its proper size.” The thieves get away with the scroll.  
• A pirate uses magic to conjure costumes to disguise his crew’s identity.  
• Miss Greyson has a gold crochet hook that can perform magic. For example, she used her “crochet hook to summon a wind.” Later, when a pirate asks for a drink, “a silver serving tray appeared on the deck. In the center of the tray, a pink china teacup perched on a lace doily, accompanied by a small pink bowl of sugar and a small pink pitcher of milk.” 

Spiritual Content  

• None