Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow

Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow is a series for young readers of nine to twelve years written by Rob Kidd. The series is published by Disney Press and was written to go with the Pirates of the Caribbean films. The events in the series take place before the events in the movies. The books are about Jack Sparrow's teen years before he becomes a pirate. It is followed by the series Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court, set thirteen years before Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Characters

 * Captain Jack Sparrow - An adolescent stowaway (not yet a pirate) with an unknown past. In the books, he is depicted as more of an adventurer than a pirate. He is the Captain of the Barnacle. He, Arabella, and Fitzwilliam are all presumed to be around 16 or 17 (referenced upon meeting Jean and Tumen, "The two of them were a few years younger than Jack; about 13 or 14") He seems to be the only one who can bring sense upon Arabella, whom he seems to have somewhat of a crush on. When he wants to make a point clear, he says "savvy", which he seems to have picked up from his dad (as Fitzy said in book 10 "you two are related"). He constantly flirts with anyone, even when in danger, often winking at some girl when he brags. Fitzwilliam and Jack fight over everything especially over who gets to be with Arabella at parties and such, often both of them lose because of her saying she can handle herself or by her going with someone else, like Jean at one time. Jack sometimes has a soft spot for Jean although he has an intense hate for his shipmate's cat-turned sister. Jack has shoulder-length brown hair tied up in a red bandana around his forehead, minus dreadlocks although he did get two beads in the fourth book, and tanned skin. In the tenth book Jack's unknown childhood is revealed: he really never knew if Teague was really his father. He grew up in Shipwreck Cove with the rest of his family and had the most problems with his Grandma, who loves to show her love by giving him pain.


 * Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III - A young British aristocrat tired of his rich and pampered life-style and so joins Jack's crew in the first book. Jack never wanted Fitzwilliam to be in his crew, but he was forced to after losing a duel. Ever since this event they've hated each other. He and Jack share a love/hate friendship; the sarcastic quips between the two accounting for much of the humor in the series. He gets angry when Jack Sparrow takes his pocket watch (which could stop time and reverse time- book 8 and 9) or spyglass (which Jack ended up keeping). It is revealed in the tenth book that he was really working for the Navy so Jack would help them find Teague. He is also the older cousin of James Norrington by about fourteen years. In the earliest illustrations, he was shown to have brown hair, but from City of Gold and on, he has light blond hair. He often fights with Jack over him being a captain and constantly reminds him that he is as much of a captain as their little fishing boat is a pirate ship. Jack gave him the nickname "Fitzy".


 * Arabella Smith - An adolescent barmaid being raised by her drunkard father who owns a tavern in Tortuga. Her mother was kidnapped by pirates and thought to be dead until book five. At times the rest of the crew (except Tumen) fought for her attention but she never had a serious romance with any of them. Arabella is known to have a very retentive memory and is a walking encyclopedia of random facts ranging from history, to current events, to legend and lore from all over the world. She has tousled auburn hair and bites her bottom lip when uncomfortable or worried. She often showed signs of affection towards Jack, who often calls her Bell, lass, or love. (from Vol. 3- "Don't call me Bell! You only call me that when you want something.") She speaks very much like a pirate but she is much too clean to be one. Despite the awkward reunion between her and her mother, Arabella loves her very much, and when it was still believed that Laura was dead, Arabella, threw herself overboard in an attempted suicide so that she would be with her mother. She is dating Bootstrap in "Poseidon's Peak." Both this, and the fact that The Secret Files of the East India Trading Company mentions that she "is an accomplished pirate herself, ...daughter of a pirate, wed a pirate, and is mother to a pirate," point to that fact that she may be Will Turner II's mother. But William's statement that in Curse of the Black Pearl: "When his mother died, he came to sea to search for his father," clashes with the Secret Files wanting her dead, meaning his mother is either someone else or the information obtained is outdated. Arabella has also been incorporated into the Magic Kingdom's Tortuga Tavern restaurant as the new owner of the now renamed Faithful Bride. Portraits of her and her mother appear in the restaurant, alongside props based on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, pointing towards having since ceased or taking a break from piracy.


 * Jean Magliore - A thirteen year old boy from New Orleans, he often spouts French phrases. Tia Dalma turned his sister into a cat. Jean should also be noted for his irresistible love for food and (humorously) bad table manners. He has a liking for Arabella and even went as her partner to Turmen's tribe's celebration. He never trusts Jack with Constance. In the follow-up series Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court, Jean returns, becoming a crewman on the Black Pearl, along with his cousin Marcella. During this time, he reveals that Constance has been returned to human form.


 * Constance Magliore - She was turned into a cat by Tia Dalma. A main source of humor is her catlike viciousness towards Jack and the crew members. She gets along with Jean, naturally with him being her brother. It is shown she acts quite like a girl, often flirtatious towards Jack. Ironically, the cure to her becoming human again was given to Jack who never handed it over, thinking it was just junk. In the series Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court,Constance is revealed to have been returned to human form, and is speculated to be the true identity of Marcella.


 * Tumen - A Mayan from the Yucatan sold into slavery by pirates. At some point, he met Jean and his cat-sister and the two became best friends. In the current Pirates of the Caribbean, as said so by the Secret Files of the East India Trading Company, Tumen still lives in the Yucatan and inherited the position of 'Chief Leader' by his grandfather.


 * Captain Torrents - A vicious pirate captain with the ability to control storms that Jack and his crew faced in the first book. He comes back in Dance of the Hours and returns again for a final showdown in Bold New Horizons.
 * Left Foot Louis - Notorious pirate with two left feet that kidnapped Arabella's mother and also searched for the Sword of Cortés. He was almost killed by Arabella when she took his sword. Left Foot Louis has a scarred face and seeks revenge on Constance and Jean, for Constance scratched his face when Louis was after Jean. Jean said that Left Foot Louis lost his right foot and had another left one sewed on.


 * Hernan Cortez - A Spanish conquistador. His ghost appears in the fourth book.


 * Moctezuma - The former Aztec emperor. His spirit battles the ghost of his sworn enemy Cortéz.


 * Madame Minuit - A powerful and seductive creole witch from New Orleans, Jean's hometown, with the power over snakes. She stole a magical amulet from Tumen's people, resulting in the blame placed on him and exile from his own people. Tumen is devastated, but returns with the amulet, making him a hero.


 * Tim Hawk - A young boy who was under the control of Madame Minuit but later turned against her in The Age of Bronze and joined the Barnacle 's crew. He is a parody to Jim Hawkins, the adventurer character from the famous pirate-based novel, Treasure Island. After sailing with Jack and crew for a short time he leaves, heading off to Barbados to find his framily. Tuman gives him the silver bullet before he goes.


 * Laura Smith - Notorious pirate who is also Arabella Smith's mother. She was thought to be dead after being kidnapped by pirates. She returns in the 5th book. She seems to have a very bad relationship with her daughter, Arabella, as the two are constantly arguing. Like her daughter, Laura has a habit of biting her bottom lip.


 * Mr. Silverback - Strange pirate of the ship, Fleur de la Mort. He has a crystal leg and tooth (which enables strange powers.) He is also somehow linked to the Sun and Stars Medallion. For a time, he possessed the Silver bullet.


 * Tia Dalma - A powerful voodoo priestess and old acquaintance of Jack Sparrow. She has an unknown relationship with Jean and Constance, though it is known that Tia Dalma did turn Constance into a cat, so they most likely have a lot of tension. She said that Constance was very bad in a past life.


 * Davy Jones - A mighty heartless, immortal seaman and ruler over many siren and mermaid kingdoms in the ocean. He wants Fitzwilliam's pocket watch because it has complete power over time when the "crown" (an item that lets you set the time) appears. The only person to be unaffected by its power is the one who held it when the "crown" last appeared.


 * Mr. Reece - The first mate of Laura Smith. He is blue-eyed and wears a red bandanna like Jack. He never lets Laura down. He is also quite handsome and a skilled fighter. It is said that Laura wished for her daughter, Arabella, to marry him instead of her dating 'Billy' Turner (later known as Bootstrap).


 * Captain Teague - Jack's father and the Captain of the Misty Lady. Calls Jack by the name "Jackie", and is Keeper of the Pirate Code.


 * Billy Turner - He later becomes Bootstrap Bill Turner. He makes his first appearance in Poseidon's Peak. He and Arabella are in love.

Ships

 * Barnacle - A battered old fishing ship, captained by Jack Sparrow who found it on Tortuga. The vessel has a box with some crudely made swords.Also was Destroyed in Sins of the Father but mentioned in all the Novels.


 * Grand Barnacle  - The Barnacle was temporarily transformed into a grand galleon by the ghost of Cortez. It was, at the time, the most powerful ship in the Caribbean. It only required a crew of one so long as the person had the Sword of Cortez.


 * La Fleur de la Morte - A pirate ship, captained by Laura Smith. It has magical blue sails that render the ship invisible.


 * Cutlass - A pirate ship captained by the horrible Left-Foot Louis, who eventually loses his position as captain and becomes a crew member of the La Fleur de la Morte. Its current whereabouts are unknown.


 * The Flying Dutchman - A legendary ghost ship commanded by Davy Jones.


 * Misty Lady - Captain Teague's majestic pirate ship makes its first appearance in Sins of the Father.

Magic Items

 * The Sword of Cortez The magic sword of Cortez with which he conquered the Aztecs. The blade possessed the ability to do many destructive things.
 * Stone Eye Sam's Stone Eye The round stone eye of the famous pirate. It served as a prison for the Aztec spirits.
 * The Stars and Sun Medallion A special medallion that had the ability to bring about the city of gold. The process involved fitting the Bronze, Silver, and Gold gems into their slots in that order.
 * Fitzwilliam's Pocketwatch It has the power to stop and reset time. It is strongly desired by Davy Jones.
 * Poseidon's Trident The powerful trident of Poseidon, god of the sea. He who possesses it can control the seas and the all creatures who live in it, except the blue tailed "Scaly-Tails."

Reception
Although aimed at a somewhat young age group, the book series has gained fair acclaim by critics and fans alike, especially in terms of storyline. They're noted for their spectacular illustrations, and creative integration between the stories told in the books, and the references to the movies. A fair share of readers agree that the stories are too short, but do make up in the number of volumes and their cheap price at only about five dollars.