The Hippie Pirates
by Lana Shupe
illustrated by Caroline Clarke
Running the Goat Books & Broadsides, 2023
ISBN 978-1-998802-04-3
$15.99, 93 pp, ages 9 – 11
runningthegoat.com
Set in Nova Scotia, this whimsical text brings three children on an adventure with their grandparents on board a VW pirate ship. While these grandparents have been travelling and tale telling for years, this is the first time the children get to explore and experience first-hand alongside the Hippie Pirates. The children learn that it’s a good thing they researched before leaving on their adventure because when they get separated from their grandparents, they apply their learning to the high seas, the history of the Black Loyalists, and the challenges of exploration in a time-travelling VW pirate ship. Readers get a child’s firsthand glimpse of the Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia as well as fanciful, well-woven stories meant to spark imagination and inquiry. Followed by nine questions for further discussion and directions where to find more information, The Hippie Pirates offers big personalities, exciting possibilities, and a family-focussed ending great for readers young and old. Reading Comprehension Strategies: Making Connections, Visualizing, Inferring, Transforming.
Classroom Connections: This text is an enjoyable adventure read-aloud or an excellent addition to a classroom library. As a read-aloud, teachers can explore compare and contrast (grandparents/elders in students’ families vs. the Hippie Pirates), researching local geography and history (what would the Hippie Pirates discover in students’ own areas?), and the Black Loyalists of Nova Scotia.
Review by Amanda Parker.
This review is featured in Candian Teacher Magazine’s Spring 2024 issue.
