BLACK FALCON

A magnificent, jingling, swashbuckling yarn that will grip the attention of practically any reader from twelve up. It is the story of young Wade Thayer, son of a New Orleans planter, who sails with Jean Lafitte, ""Black Falcon"", in his privateering raids against the English in 1814. There are enough battles with pirates, Englishmen and mutineers to satisfy the most bloodthirsty comic-book devotee, and yet the characters (some historical such as Lafitte and Jackson- some fictional) emerge as rounded, credible people. There is a rich, authentic background of pageantry, color and romance that make this a compelling and superior historical novel for younger readers. Sperry at his best!