The Unbinding of Mary Reade

Gr 8 Up—In her debut novel, McNamara creates a compelling backstory for legendary female pirate Anne Bonney, as well as folding accurate historical details into a plot about how and why youth took to sea in 18th-century England, the physical and social hazards of social class clashes on land and at sea, and the gender politics that, then too, made the simple fact of being female constantly dangerous. The fictional Mary Reade, raised from early childhood as a boy, leaves her poverty-stricken home in Wapping, London, with her best (and uninformed) friend, a boy who later becomes a love interest and a danger in her life when they meet again in the Caribbean. In the meantime, Mary has shot an evil sea captain, joined a pirate gang that includes Anne and her lover, Calico Jack, and has finally been revealed as a young woman rather than a young man. Anne and Mary fall in love across months and chapters that present only a slightly anachronistic view of their awareness and willingness to follow their hearts. All of this makes for delightful reading for anyone who enjoys pirate stories or is seeking LGBTQ+ fiction that is positive as well as fairly realistic.