The Dark Frigate

Good news: This book was a lot better than most of the Newbery Award winners I've read to date. Bad news: It was still pretty bland and meaningless. Great news: I'm finally done; the backlog is now Newbery-free. There are still a few children's books remaining, but none carry the badge of assured shittiness that is the Newbery Award. Now, this book was published in 1924, and it was only the third Newbery winner. And I guess back then, kids' books were considered good if they were exciting and filled with adventure. (And not about, say, mice and crickets chit-chatting in a subway, or mice and birds discussing government labs.) The Dark Frigate is a pirate story. As far as pirate stories go, it was nothing special. Boy sets sail, pirate crew abducts ship, boy resists piracy, pirates kill most of original crew except for boy for some reason, authorities capture pirates, boy cannot prove own innocence, touched pirate captain vindicates boy's claims of innocence, pirates are killed, boy sets sail once more. You know, the usual. Whatever. I'm all done with the quick and easy but dull and frustrating Newbery winners side quest. Phew.