About the Book
It’s the pirate’s life for Kitto in this “exciting and richly detailed historical swashbuckler” (Publishers Weekly).
Twelve-year-old Christopher, aka Kitto, is seemingly doomed to follow in the footsteps of his father as a barrel-maker in seventeenth-century England, especially because of his clubfoot. Yet Kitto longs for more. And after his father is murdered and his stepmother and brother are kidnapped, he has no choice but to set off on a dangerous seafaring voyage with bounty hunters on his trail and his sole ally an uncle he hardly knows; an uncle who is an infamous pirate and the only man ever crazy enough to steal from the equally infamous Governor of Jamaica…
A lively narrative School Library Journal calls “fast-paced, well-developed, and historically accurate…this coming-of-age quest is perfect for landlubbers and pirate aficionados alike.”
About the Author :
Brian Eames has taught for fifteen years at the Paideia School, a K–12 independent school in Atlanta. He read his first novel, The Dagger Quick, out loud to his class as he wrote it. Publishers Weekly called The Dagger Quick “thoroughly researched, fast-paced, and tense…embraces the mythical glamour of a pirate’s life.” He lives with his wife and children in Atlanta. Visit him at TheDaggerQuick.com.
Review :
"an exciting and richly detailed historical swashbuckler...Readers are likely to relate to Kitto's drive for adventure, sense of loyalty to his family, and desire to do the right thing. Thoroughly researched, fast-paced, and tense, this coming-of-age adventure doesn't sugarcoat the dangers of the era, even as it embraces the mythical glamour of a pirate's life"--"Publishers Weekly",
"Readers will undoubtedly identify strongly with the scrappy Kitto, and this will heighten the tension built around his inevitable struggles and ultimate hard-won successes. The story is accurate enough to grab historical fiction fans and sharp and quick enough to keep adventure fans enthralled"--"Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"
"Pirates! Bullies! Murder and mayhem! Family secrets! Seventeenth-century England to Cape Verde and the Caribbean! ... Kitto, 12 years old, clubfooted, about to discover that his last name is different from what he thought, that his deceased mother had a dark and complicated past and that his uncle is a pirate. Kitto's father, a cooper, is murdered, and Kitto kills his attacker, then is off to sail with his uncle after his stepmother and adored little brother are kidnapped."-- "KIRKUS"
"An exciting and richly detailed historical swashbuckler...Readers are likely to relate to Kitto's drive for adventure, sense of loyalty to his family, and desire to do the right thing. Thoroughly researched, fast-paced, and tense, this coming-of-age adventure doesn't sugarcoat the dangers of the era, even as it embraces the mythical glamour of a pirate's life"-- "Publishers Weekly"
Eames, Brian The Dagger Quick
"2011. 336pp. $15.99 hc. Paula Wiseman Books (Simon & Schuster). 978-1-4424-2311-4. Grades 5-8"
All 12-year-old Christopher "Kitto" Wheale wants to do is sail the seas instead of learning barrel making, but that is not an option for a 17th century boy born with a club foot. All appears hopeless until his long-lost uncle, the infamous Captain Quick, appears. Agreeing to rejoin his brother for one last high seas adventure, Mr. Wheale grudgingly gives in and promises to take Kitto along to make the barrels needed to smuggle priceless spices. All goes horribly wrong when, in a struggle with a rival captain, Kitto accidentally shoots his father. With a bounty on his head, Kitto goes on his uncle's ship. What follows is a high-seas adventure worthy of any swashbuckler. Although the characters are not terribly well-developed and rather cliche, the adventures are non-stop, page-turning fun. With an ending that begs for a sequel, there's no doubt thiso
Eames, Brian
The Dagger Quick
"2011. 336pp. $15.99 hc. Paula Wiseman Books (Simon & Schuster). 978-1-4424-2311-4. Grades 5-8"
All 12-year-old Christopher "Kitto" Wheale wants to do is sail the seas instead of learning barrel making, but that is not an option for a 17th century boy born with a club foot. All appears hopeless until his long-lost uncle, the infamous Captain Quick, appears. Agreeing to rejoin his brother for one last high seas adventure, Mr. Wheale grudgingly gives in and promises to take Kitto along to make the barrels needed to smuggle priceless spices. All goes horribly wrong when, in a struggle with a rival captain, Kitto accidentally shoots his father. With a bounty on his head, Kitto goes on his uncle's ship. What follows is a high-seas adventure worthy of any swashbuckler. Although the characters are not terribly well-developed and rather cliche, the adventures are non-stop, page-turning fun. With an ending that begs for a sequel, there's no doubt this book will become a new hit.
--"Library Media Connection", November/December 2011
The Dagger Quick"Brian Eames. S&S/Wiseman, $15.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-4424-2311-4"
Eames makes his debut with an exciting and richly detailed historical swashbuckler, set in 1678. Christopher "Kitto" Quick is the 12-year-old son of an English barrel maker, bullied for his clubfoot and yearning for a better life. When his previously unknown privateer uncle, Capt. William Quick, comes to visit, trouble and tragedy follow. Before Kitto knows it, his father is dead, and his stepmother and brother have been kidnapped by the ruthless John Morris, who's hunting William to recover a long-hidden treasure. Joining William's crew, Kitto must adapt quickly in order to rescue his family, avenge his father, and survive life at sea. Along the way, he discovers his family's hidden past as it ties into the pirates of Jamaica, while safeguarding the mysterious dagger left to him by his father. Readers are likely to relate to Kitto's drive for adventure, sense of loyalty to his family, and desire to do the right thing. Thoroughly researched, fast-paced, and tense, this coming-of-age adventure doesn't sugarcoat the dangers of the era, even as it embraces the mythical glamour of a pirate's life. Ages 8-12.
--"Publishers Weekly", April 4, 2011
Pirates! Bullies! Murder and mayhem! Family secrets! Seventeenth-century England to Cape Verde and the Caribbean! But no ending. Debut novelist Eames commits a cardinal sin by ending his story without a resolution. It opens well, however, with our hero and a bully and a fistful of horse manure. Said hero is Kitto, 12 years old, clubfooted, about to discover that his last name is different from what he thought, that his deceased mother had a dark and complicated past and that his uncle is a pirate. Kitto's father, a cooper, is murdered, and Kitto kills his attacker, then is off to sail with his uncle after his stepmother and adored little brother are kidnapped. The characters are not so much developed as moved like chess pieces: hidden treasure, scary tattoos, a treacherous friend with a pet monkey, a rescued slave, a climactic ship-to-ship battle with circling sharks. Things are dropped in: an intricately inlaid dagger that belonged to Kitto's mother; his Quaker stepmother's premonition of what might be magic in him; adult sailors following a 12-year-olds' orders. Sometimes the language is clunky or awkward. It does, however, draw readers in, at least until the last pages, where Kitto lands after his clubfoot is bitten off by one of those sharks, and his companions are about to cauterize it.
Then what? Readers who plummet off this cliff will hope there are no sharks circling below. (Glossary)
- "KIRKUS, "April 15, 2011
Eames's swashbuckling adventure on the high seas begins in 1678 England. Christopher "Kitto" Quick, 12-year-old apprentice barrel maker to his father, Frederick, has always been ridiculed for his clubfoot and longs for excitement and new experiences. He gets more than he bargained for when a pirate, Captain William Quick, appears with trouble on his heels, claiming to be Kitto's uncle and bringing to light a score of hidden family secrets. Soon, Frederick is dead, and the ruthless privateer John Morris, who is hunting William Quick and a long-lost treasure, has kidnapped Kitto's stepmother and stepbrother. The youngster joins Captain Quick's crew, equipped with nothing but the dagger Frederick left him and the resolve to rescue his family and avenge his father's death. Fast-paced, well-developed, and historically accurate, the lively narrative grabs readers from the get-go and keeps them sailing through the pages. Kitto must determine whom he can trust if he is to save his life and those of his loved ones. Not for the lily-livered, this coming-of-age quest is perfect for landlubbers and pirate aficionados alike. Eames has left readers yearning for the sequel with a true cliff-hanger."-Michele Shaw, QuailRunElementary School, San Ramon, CA"
School Library Journal, August 2011
Kitto is used to a hard life of ostracism and tedious labor--as a child with a clubfoot in seventeenth-century England, he can only hope to remain his father's apprentice, even though being a cooper is a long way from the seafaring adventures for which he yearns. Everything changes in an instant, however, when his dad's long-missing piratical brother returns, bringing untold danger and excitement in his wake.Unfortunately, too much of both await Kitto, who soon loses his father and finds himself embroiled in an elaborate scheme that may bring him riches and definitely nets him dangerous enemies; at the same time, he's frantically plotting ways to retrieve his kidnapped mother and little brother. Kitto possesses the perfect personality traits for just these sorts of life-and-death situations: he is unflinchingly bold, he has a clear moral compass, and he is adept at shelving otherwise overwhelming emotions until he has a more opportune moment to process them. Rather than simply sending a perfect protagonist into a grand (and horrifying) adventure, Eames is also careful to show how Kitto evolves and how subtle familial and cultural influences shaped him. Readers will undoubtedly identify strongly with the scrappy Kitto, and this will heighten the tension built around his inevitable struggles and ultimate hard-won successes. The story is accurate enough to grab historical fiction fans and sharp and quick enough to keep adventure fans enthralled; though both groups will likely be startled by the abruptness of the ending, they'll enjoy imagining how the subsequent events might play out in Kitto's able hands. AS
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July/August 2011
