Ahoy there nerdy wenches! I can’t believe we almost let International Talk Like A Pirate Day go without mention. It wasn’t that long ago that I was leading pirate games (which included a race to translate sentences written in Pirate slang into modern English) to third grade landlubbers. I’m not sure how much they liked the aforementioned game, but they loved the hats and stick-on mustaches!
Anyway, Nerdy Chicks Rule seems a great place to salute female pirates like Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Grace O’Malley, who claimed pirate fame despite strict rules against allowing females aboard pirate vessels. Hmmm. While it’s true they were groundbreaking… uh… seabreaking… maybe they weren’t so nerdy.
But here’s one who is. I have to give a shout out to Princess Bea of Pirate Princess by fellow blogger Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. When I looked on my shelf and saw this book I realized I had almost let the most important pirate day of the year slip by without saluting Bea. She’s quite nerdy, a pampered princess who knows what she wants and has the guts to go after it. But Bea has never lifted a finger in her life, so she has no skills to contribute to a pirate crew. Luckily she discovers a valuable skill that doesn’t involve fingers. I’ve known Princess Bea ever since she was just a character in a manuscript, before she was discovered by Harper Collins and delivered to the hands of young readers, and I’ve always thought she was great!
Ah well, not every author answer can be inspiring. But Pirate Princess is!
Do you have a favorite pirate term? There are a ton of great piratey words out there. My favorite term: cackle fruit. Know what it is? Here’s a hint: it comes from a chicken.
Sudipta’s favorite term is booty. Actually, she tried to think of a better term as soon as the word was out of her mouth, but couldn’t. To be fair, I think if pirate terms were electable by the public, booty would win!
Psst! Not too late to enter to win a copy of Saying Goodbye! Click here for details!
This entry was posted in This Nerdy Chick and tagged books about female pirates, Pirate Princess, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Talk like a pirate day.
Kami: I’d love to help, but I got a D in Beginner Pirate Lingo many years ago, and it’s been all downhill from there! ARRRGGGHHHH!!!
Ah…me long lost relative Grace O’Malley! OK, on my husband’s side and where the heck did we lose the “O”? Nothing can spin faster than an Irish folktale! Arrrrrrrrrr!
Susan, I’m writing in English for you since your piratese skills are lacking.:) Cathy, related to a pirate? Blow me down!
Arrrr, Kami, thank you for the shout out! Nerdy pirates of the world, UNITE!