The story of the Pirate Queen is a story that is not known by many. It is the tale of the Irish Queen of the pirates, Grania O'Malley, who became the leader of her clan. The tale is describes her battles, her hardships, and her successes. The pictures are beautiful with tones of blue and green throughout the entire story which keeps the sea in the background of the book. Grania's ruthlessness for war and love of her family are seen through out the book. The story gives detailed accounts of her life and the interesting connection between her and Queen Elizabeth I who helped her tremendously to get her land back. The author's notes in the end of the book gives reader a more detailed account of Grania's life. ( )

I was drawn to read “The Pirate Queen" mainly due to my interest in all things Irish. I completed my undergraduate degree in Limerick, Ireland, so I was excited to read a children’s book that even mentioned the small city where I spent three years. “The Pirate Queen” tells the story of Grania O’Malley, a fierce, seafaring woman who was born “with the light of the sea in her eye”. Young Grania begged her father to allow her to sail with him, and eventually “won the right to go to sea” when she cut her hair in a boyish fashion to show how serious she was. Over the years, Grania grew into a ferocious pirate queen--a woman who even the strongest sailors feared. When the English Queen Elizabeth I sent the new governor Sir Richard Bingham to control Ireland, Grania was captured and her family mercilessly killed. Sir Bingham eventually released Grania from prison, but when she went home she found that all her ships had been destroyed by the English fleet, who had taken over her land. Rather than give up, Grania bravely requested an audience with Queen Elizabeth (who was “greatly vexed” by the Irish). Instead of shunning Grania, Queen Elizabeth granted Grania the power to “defend the Crown with fire and sword” in Ireland and allowed her to return to her home country with the pride of a well-regarded leader. Overall, I felt that this book was engaging and would be an interesting read for children. My only problem with the book was in the way that the name “Grania” was spelled. The English name Grace in Irish is actually spelled “Grainne”. While I’m aware that the pronunciation of the name would have been butchered by non-Irish speaking readers, it seems to “whitewash” or anglicize the Irishness of Grania’s (Grainne’s) name and make it more English-friendly. Much of Ireland’s culture has been treated this way by the English throughout their tumultuous history, so this slight spelling change really bothered me. Besides that, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to young readers interested in Irish history. ( )

I'd never heard of this woman before this book, but how cool a life she must have lived. I feel like she's the kind of person that people today would be fascinated by if they only knew a little more about her. They ought to make a movie about a person like her. I'm sure there's an audience for it. Anyway, this, like almost everything that McCully writes, was really well presented. I loved the book. ( )

One of my only regrets, as it concerns the three months I spent hiking through Ireland one summer, is that I never made it to County Mayo, and never visited Clare Island - stronghold of the Ó Máille clan, and home of Gráinne Ní Mháille (sometimes known as "Grace O'Malley"), the famed sixteenth century pirate and chieftain. A fascinating figure, who defied many of the conventions of her day, governing the activities and behavior of women, Grania - as she is known here, in Emily Arnold McCully's picture-book biography - is a woman after my own heart, and I am always interested to see a new retelling of her story.

The Pirate Queen follows it heroine from her birth in 1530, the only child of Owen O'Malley, chieftain of the O'Malleys; through her tumultuous youth, in which it became clear that she was meant for a life on the sea; her battles against other pirates, whether Turkish or English; her marriages, first to Donal O'Flaherty, and then to Richard Burke; the eventual ruin of her family and fortune, at the hands of the English governor, Sir Richard Bingham; and her visit to the court of Queen Elizabeth I, to seek restitution.

Needless to say, it is an exciting story, sure to keep young readers engaged, whether their chief interest is in pirates, the history of Ireland, or the story of a strong woman. McCully knows how to tell a tale, and she also knows how to illustrate it, as witnessed by her Caldecott Medal-winner, Mirette on the High Wire. Her watercolor illustrations for The Pirate Queen, particularly the scenes at sea, are as expressive as the text, and as full of motion. Highly recommended, to all young readers with an adventurous spirit! ( )

I would use this book for both an elementary and middle school class. The illustrations are vivid and the language easily understood. The book is about the life of Grania O’Mally her exploits as the leader of a mercantile empire and pirate and her appeal to Queen Elizabeth for justice after being robbed by the local English governor. I would use this book as a hook in a lesson on the tensions between Ireland and England. ( )