Young women swooning over Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow may take to this tongue-in-cheek tale of intrepid 16-year-old Jenny Snow, who falls for a teenaged pirate Lothario and becomes embroiled in his treasure-hunting schemes. Descendant of a long line of swashbucklers, “Coop” Deville and his foul-mouthed parrot are searching the South Florida coast for an ancient pearl statue, but what he spies initially is a sunbathing Jenny, and he’s immediately smitten. The pair team up and various minor comical thrills and complications ensue. The piratical life suits Jenny; she’s been yearning for adventure. The treasure is ultimately found, Jenny’s romance with Coop develops and a surprise ending brings things to a close. Slyly humorous observations pervade the book, told in omniscient present tense. Adults may appreciate the author’s witty take on society, politics and the ethos of South Florida—but will his intended audience? And putting Casablanca’s signature line in the mouth of an 18-year-old? Aaarrrggghhh! Something’s mizzen in this mildly entertaining but unmemorable effort. (Fiction. 11-14)
