HERO OF THE HIGH SEAS

After killing a sailor in Tobago, Captain John Paul took the name John Jones (and later John Paul Jones) and fled to Virginia, where he planned on becoming an aristocrat like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Tracing the parallel stories of the colonies’ road to independence and Jones’s road to heroism, Cooper writes with clear and lively prose, effectively incorporating quotations for dramatic effect. Maps and photographs of period artwork and historical artifacts enliven the text. Source notes are solid, a suggestion for further reading includes a small but excellent set of works for young readers and a list of places to visit will support those who wish to learn more. Though the final pages compress many years and much history, this is an excellent portrait of a character with many flaws, demonstrating, as Senator John McCain says in the foreword, “the ability to achieve great things in spite of our weaknesses.” (timeline, words and expressions from the historical era, index) (Nonfiction. 10+)