The humor and sarcasm of Kate’s writing would have made this book a favorite of mine when I was a boy. The tone reminded me of those oddball adventure books written by Roald Dahl. The Dread Crew turns piracy on its head in unexpected ways. Pirate unions? Pirate junk-collectors? Pirates roaming in the forest?!

This novel has a strong sense of place, that of the Maritime Canadian woods, and at first, it seems like a strange place for a pirate story. On further research, I discovered that there is a whole tradition of Atlantic Canada pirate adventures, and clearly Kate is playing with — and against — this long tradition, even presenting her readers with a very modern environmental message underneath all of the “heap o’ splinters” and maggots in beards.

Neil Kramer of Citizen of the Month is a screenwriter in New York City. He's funny, has the greatest voice in all of the entire universe, and enjoys dirty jokes as well as bright red flannel pajamas. Don't ask me how I know. On both counts. Read Neil's complete review of the book here - and listen to a long, giggly, two-part audio conversation during which Neil asks me about boyishness, the nature of delightful mud, and the mysteries of the urban/rural divide (otherwise known as Nordstrom's versus a backwoods rooster pen).

Citizen of the Month ::: When times are tough, and they are in America in 2009, there is only one option available for someone unskilled like myself — getting onto reality television. From faking balloon dramas to crashing White House parties, the best and brightest of our country know the route to success is not hard work, but landing a reality show on Bravo.