''Pirate Diary: The Journal of Jake Carpenter'' is an account of the pirate life cast as the journal of a young
cabin boy
''Cabin Boy'' is a 1994 American fantasy comedy film, directed by Adam Resnick and co-produced by Tim Burton, which starred comedian Chris Elliott. Elliott co-wrote the film with Resnick. Both Elliott and Resnick worked for '' Late Night with Dav ...
, written by
Richard Platt and illustrated by
Chris Riddell
Chris Riddell ( ) (born 13 April 1962) is a South African-born British illustrator and occasional writer of children's books and a political cartoonist for the ''Observer''. He has won three Kate Greenaway Medals - the British librarians' ann ...
. It was published by Walker in 2001, two years after ''Castle Diary'', also by Platt and Riddell. Platt continued the
"Diary" series with illustrator
David Parkins
David Alan Parkins (born 2 November 1955) is a British cartoonist and illustrator who has worked for D.C. Thomson, publisher of ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy''. Now based in Canada, he illustrates children's picture books.
Parkins was born in ...
.
''Pirate Diary'' won the annual
Kate Greenaway Medal
The Kate Greenaway Medal is a British literary award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) ...
from the
professional librarians, recognising the year's best-illustrated children's book published in the U.K. (Riddell),
[
and the ]Blue Peter Book Award
The Blue Peter Book Awards were a set of literary awards for children's books conferred by the BBC television programme '' Blue Peter''. They were inaugurated in 2000 for books published in 1999. The Awards have been managed by reading charity, ...
, Best Book with Facts.[
]
It was also silver runner up for the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, and Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for a time, was a set of annual awards for British children's books that ran from 1985 to 2007. It was administered by BookTrust, an independent charity that promotes books and ...
in ages category 6–8 years.["Nestlé Children's Book Prize"]
Booktrust. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
The Greenaway press release celebrated ''Pirate Diary'' as an "exciting information book for children from 8 to 14" and the first "information book" to win the illustration Medal since 1975, and called it "a fictionalised account" (quoting CILIP). " en he spoke with author Richard Platt the harsh necessities of historical accuracy came into play. 'Everything I got excited about got shot down. No parrots, eye-patches or wooden legs. Thank god there were weapons and amputations!'" (quoting Riddell).[
]
Diary series
The Diary series comprises four 64-page picture books that publisher Walker Books labels "Non-Fiction". Author Platt calls them fictional first-person journals (see diary
A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...
) and calls ''Castle Diary'' "my first attempt at fiction".[Richard Platt]
For Platt's blurb about a particular book, select "My Work", a subsection (Castles, The Sea, or History for the Diary series), and a cover image. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
* ''Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess, Page; Transcribed by Richard Platt, Illustrated by Chris Riddell'' (Walker, 1999)
: subtitle ''Journal of a Young Page'' in the 2011 paperback set[
: a boy who goes to work in a castle as a page][
''Castle Diary'' was a highly commended runner up for the Greenaway Medal, recognising Riddell's illustration.][
: PZ7.P71295 Cas 1999 http://lccn.loc.gov/98042779
: (first US)
* ''Pirate Diary: The Journal of Jake Carpenter'' (Walker, 2001)
: subtitle ''Journal of a Cabin Boy'' in the 2011 paperback set][
: an apprentice sailor, impressed by pirates as a cabin boy][
Platt won the Blue Peter Award, Best Book with Facts,][ and Riddell won the Greenaway Medal for illustration.][
: PZ7.P71295 Pi 2001 http://lccn.loc.gov/00065198
: (first US)
* ''Egyptian Diary: The Journal of Nakht'' (Walker, 2005)
: subtitle ''Journal of a Young Scribe'' in the 2011 paperback set][
: the third first-person journal, a ]whodunit
A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the cl ...
featuring corruption and robbery[
: PZ7.P71295 Eg 2005 http://lccn.loc.gov/2005046911
: (first US)
* ''Roman Diary: The Journal of Iliona of Mytilini, who was captured and sold as a slave in Rome, AD 107'' (Walker, 2009)
: subtitle ''Journal of a Young Slave'' in the 2011 paperback set][
: a Greek girl taken by pirates for sold in Rome; "fourth and final book in the Diary series"][
: PZ7.P71295 Rom 2009 http://lccn.loc.gov/2008935660
: (first US)
Walker re-issued all four books March 2011 in a matching set with anonymous subtitles, classified as "Non-Fiction", and recommended for readers age 7 and up.
][''Castle Diary'' at Walker Books]
Retrieved 2012-07-08.
[''Pirate Diary'' at Walker Books]
. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
[''Egyptian Diary'' at Walker Books]
. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
[''Roman Diary'' at Walker Books]
. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
See also
Notes
References
External links
* {{worldcat , oclc=45654821 —immediately, first US edition
British children's books
Fictional diaries
Children's books about pirates
Kate Greenaway Medal winning works
Series of children's books
2001 children's books
Children's history books
Walker Books books