Thompson, Julian F. Terry and the pirates.

Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse. 310p. c2000. 0-689-85085-9. $5.99. JS

To quote KLIATT's September 2000 review of the hardcover edition:

When resourceful 16-year-old Terry hears of her parents' plans to send her off to boarding school, she hatches a scheme of her own. She stows away on a fancy yacht, seeking adventure, and then is shocked to discover that the owner isn't on board--instead, his 15-year-old son, Mick, a runaway himself, is captaining it, hoping to get his father's attention. But Mick is swept overboard in a monsoon, and Terry soon finds herself the captive of modern-day pirates. The pirates consist of randy Short Bill Gold; his foul-tempered sister, known as the Dragon Lady, who keeps a huge Komodo dragon as a pet; her two young but bloodthirsty children, Cherry and Bud; and a British pilot. They hole up on a small island in the Bermuda Triangle, holding Terry for ransom, while all the men (even young Bud) fall for Terry. Mike reappears, to Terry's delight, and as romance blossoms between them they plot to escape the island with the treasure Mick has found.

This is silly fun with a rather arch tone, combining adventure, humor and romance in a swiftly moving tale that both respects and tweaks traditional pirate tales. Lots of talk of nudity and a swear word here and there would make it a PG-13 rated movie; it's quite cinematic in style, actually. Entertaining for junior high school age and younger high school students, especially girls, as it's all told from Terry's viewpoint.