Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow

The Adventures of 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.

Settings

Tortuga, Dead Aztec City, Mermaid Kingdom, Isla Esqueletica, Yucatan Peninsula, and New Orleans (so far in the book).

Characters

• Captain Jack Sparrow- An adolescent stow-away (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 in the fifteen to sixteen year age range.(Referenced upon meeting Jean and Tumen, "The two of them were a few years younger than Jack.") He seems to be the only one who can bring sense upon Arabella, whom he seems to have a bit of a crush on. When he wants to make a point clear, he says "savvy". He constantly flirts with anyone, even when in danger, often winking at some girl when he brags. He and Fitzwilliam often fight 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.

• 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. 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 or spy glass. 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 ten years. In the earliest illustrations, he was shown to have brown hair, but from City of Gold and on, he has light 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 "Fitz". The name "Fitzwilliam" translates to, "Son of William," so it is possible that that was his father's first name.

• 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 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 has an 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, possessed by the Merfolk to follow her deepest wish, threw herself overboard in an attempted suicide so that she and her mother could be together again.

• 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 crush on Arabella and even went as her date to Tumen's tribe's celebration. He only trusts Jack with Constance.

• Constance Magliore- Jean's sister; turned into a cat by Tia Dalma. It is unknown at this time if she will ever be a human again. Another main source of humor is her catlike viciousness towards Jack and the crew members. She only gets along with Jean, naturally with him being her brother. It is shown she acts quite like a girl, often flirtatious towards Jack.

• 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.

• Captain Torrents- A vicious pirate captain with the ability to control storms that Jack and his crew faced in the first book.

• Left Foot Louis- Notorious pirate with two left feet that kidnapped Arabella's mother and also quested for the Sword of Cortés. He was almost killed by Arabella when she took his sword.

• Hernan Cortez- A Spanish conquistador. His ghost appears in the third 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.

• 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.

• 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 Smith, as the two are constantly arguing. She is known to toss her hair in a certain way that makes men stare at her. 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, (which the crew of the Barnacle currently possesses). At the time he possessed the Silver bullet. His name may be a parody to Long John Silver, from the book, Treasure Island.

• 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.

• 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" (the piece that lets you set the time) is popped up. The only person to be unaffected by its power is the one who last held it when the "crown" was popped up.

• Mr. Reece- The first mate of Laura Smith. He is blue-eyed and wears a red bandana like Jack. He never lets Laura down. He is also quite handsome and a skilled fighter. He seems to be the only honest crew mate Laura had on her ship.

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

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.
• Grand Barnacle The Barnacle was temporaraly 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, capitained 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.
• Neptune's Trident The powerful trident of Neptune. He who posseses it can control the elements and the forces of nature.

Plot / Summary

The Coming Storm

Release Date: June 1, 2006 (USA) In the beginning Jack is in a Tortuga tavern, looking for his satchel, which has been stolen. He thinks he has found it under the seat of a notorious pirate Torrents, who catches Jack stealing. In the ensuing bar fight, Jack slips out, only to find out that the satchel isn't his. This one contains, among various personal items, the magical sheath for the Sword of Cortés. The barmaid, Arabella, who pulled Jack out of the fight, makes this discovery with him. They plan together to a ship to go look for the storied Sword of Cortés, and reunite it with its sheath. Arabella directs Jack to an abandoned ship, the Barnacle. Before they leave Tortuga, a young boy, Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III, insists on joining them for their quest. The three sail for many days and come upon an island, where they meet two thirteen year old boys, Jean and Tumen, and their cat sister Constance. Jack remarks about The Sword of Cortés, and Jean and Tumen lead the crew to a 'dead' city on the cursed island. Inside the main building of the city, the crew find the skeleton of the city's king, Stone-Eyed Sam, who is said to be holding the Sword, but it is missing. Jack pockets the fabled stone eye of the now-dead former pirate king as a souvenir. The crew find left footprints on the ground, and soon realize that the notorious pirate, Left Foot Louis, has it. They all go rushing to the Barnacle, when they suddenly come face to face with Torrents, a crew member of the feared Davy Jones's crew. They all battle on the beach, for who would get the Sword of Cortés's sheath, and Jack eventually defeats Torrents and escape on the Barnacle.

It is revealed in this book that Jack knew Benjamin Franklin, and taught him the secrets of electricity.

The Siren Song

Release Date: June 1, 2006 (U.S.A.) Then, after many days at sea, the crew of the Barnacle begin to act very strange after hearing a phantom-esque song floating over the waves. Each crew member wants to take the Barnacle in a different direction and away from the Sword's location. Jack seems unaffected by the Song, and wonders what is afoot. He is then taken deep below the ocean, after strange creatures start attacking the Barnacle and confronted with antagonist mermaids in an undersea mermaid kingdom. Jack says that he and his crew are after the Sword of Cortés. The mermaids then make a deal with Jack that when the crew eventually gets the Sword, they would have to return to the mermaid kingdom and give them the thing Jack values most. (Although they state that it is not physical treasure.) He also gives them the stone eye - which he does without thinking. Jack is then set free and his crew goes back to normal. It is a little while later, Jack realizes to his horror that the thing he values most is his freedom. (He has essentially sold himself to the Sirens.)

The Pirate Chase

Release Date: August 1, 2006 (U.S.A.) In the beginning, Jack and company spot the island of Isla Esqueletica, and stop there. The village on the island seems to be abandoned- until they find Left Foot Louis, and two of his pirates. The Barnacle 's crew and Left Foot Louis all get into a fight, and in the end of the battle, Arabella grabs the Sword from Louis, and accidentally invoking its power, makes Louis evaporate. Arabella is devasted, claiming she killed him, but was brought to sense by Jack and Fitzwilliam (Tumen and Jean only made things worse).Jack, Arabella, and the others, are shocked, but are relieved that their greatest foe is gone. Jack then reunites the Sword with its sheath, and after reciting a spell, the sword's previous owner - a very dead Hernan Cortés appears before them.

The Sword of Cortés

Release Date: October 1, 2006 (U.S.A.) After suddenly confronting Cortés himself, Jack is tutored by Cortés on how to use the sword. Strangely, snow begins to fall on the Caribbean island. Tumen becomes very sick, and becomes worse by the minute. Jack, taken in by the power of the sword, begins abandoning his friends to learn how to control the power by Cortés. It is revealed that the sword needs to be by the eye of Stone-Eyed-Sam to work at maximum power- the very same eye that Jack had carelessly given to the mysterious Sirens just days prior. So, after returning to the Sirens, and single-handedly defeating a terrible beast of theirs, Jack reclaims the eye and returns to the snow-covered island; where Jack's crewmembers and friends attempt to stay warm in the deserted village. Jack soon realizes that Cortés was merely using him, and intends to reclaim his former sword. In a tragic turn of events, Tumen dies from his mysterious illness. From inside beads given to Jack by Tia Dalma, comes the spirit of Montecuhzoma, who battles Cortés to the (re)death. Jack uses the power of the sword one last time to bring the villagers back, and Tumen is miraculously revived. The crew decides to go to Tumen's village in the Yucatan, as he has not been to his home since he was sold into slavery.

It is also note-worthy that Jack has braided his first dreadlock into his hair - first step in becoming the notorious pirate.

The Age of Bronze

Release Date: December 1, 2006 (U.S.A.) After everything the Barnacle 's crew had gone through with the Sword of Cortés, they decide to stop at Tumen's home village on the Yucatan Peninsula. A day later, one of the village's charmed amulets goes missing- and the crew are the main suspects. They are banished from the island, and decide to go searching for the real thieves. Along the way they confront a bronze ship - with bronze people who had been frozen by the metal. Then, the next day they arrive at the city of New Orleans, and find the true thieves in a hotel- Madame Minuit, and a young boy. The crew battle Madame Minuit for the amulet, and for some reason the boy turns against her and slows her down, allowing the Barnacle 's crew to escape with the amulet. (In the fight, Jack is accidentally smacked in the mouth with the amulet, turning some of his teeth to bronze- explaining their current condition in the films.) They all reach the Barnacle and quickly set sail. The crew then find the boy on the ship, who reveals his name as Tim Hawk, who then reveals that Madame Minuit forced him to turn the earlier encountered ship into bronze, and that she had treated him like her slave for many years and wanted to escape. Jack then agrees to let Tim join the crew. A few minutes later, another ship comes alongside the Barnacle- and on the ship is Arabella's mother, living the life of a pirate alongside an old enemy, Left Foot Louis, who is cursed to work for her crew for eternity. So Arabella is reunited with her mother.

Silver

Release Date: February 1, 2007 (U.S.A.) After coming ship to ship with the Fleur de La Mort, the crew of the Barnacle is forcibly brought onto the ship by Laura Smith, Captain of the ship (Also Arabella's mother.) There the Barnacle 's crew discover a new and powerful enemy, Mr. SilverBack, and also the Barnacle 's old enemy, Left Foot Louis. They both erupt into a fight when the Barnacle's crew comes aboard their ship (because Louis wants to kill them all.) They are then both sent belowdeck for fighting by Laura Smith. Jack is very suspicious of Louis and SilverBack, so he sneaks belowdeck and finds out that the two pirates are planning mutiny against their captain. And most of the crew is on their side. Jack immediately warns the captain and his friends of this plan, but is too late. All the pirates on deck erupt in battle against the Barnacle 's crew and Laura Smith. Eventually, they win, and tie up the mutinied pirates. Jack was fighting SilverBack in the battle, and found out he had the silver gem which fit into the medallion he had. So he yanks it out of SilverBack's hand. Strangely, SilverBack and Louis suddenly disappear. Arabella walks over to her mother and begin to talk about what happened in their pasts, which soon turns into a big fight. Jack and the crew then quietly sneak into the captain's cabin where he fitted the silver gem into the medallion. After a fierce fight then afterwards, Laura storms into the cabin finding Jack and his crew. She tells him to leave the ship immediately. Jack enthusiastically agrees and goes over with his crew to the Barnacle. Arabella goes over too but is stopped by her mother. Then she cuts all the ropes tying the Fleur and the Barnacle together free. After that it is found out that the silver gem fitted in the medalion has turned Jack's Bronze tooth Silver.

City of Gold

Release Date: March 1, 2007 (U.S.A.) City of Gold is basically one big continuation of Silver- lots of fight sequences and hostage-passing back and forth. Jack fights Madame Minuit in a final showdown- barely escaping with his life, but victorious nonetheless. At the end of the book, it takes a twist ending with all of Jack's crewmembers/friends going back to their respective homes- save Fitzwilliam, ironically. He and Jack banter back and forth about Fitz's watch, when, in another dramatic twist, the fearsome Davy Jones surfaces beside the Barnacle and demands it.

Note: Some of Jack's teeth, previously turned to bronze in the previous story, permanently turn gold when the gems of the Suns-and-Stars are knocked out. This is yet another of his now-famous traits as a pirate.

The Timekeeper

Release Date: July 31, 2007 (U.S.A.)Jack's got something Davy Jones wants... nope, it's not his soul. It's a very special pocket watch with unique properties. This watch has the power to affect time itself! Jack accidentally pressed down on the watch's crown, freezing time. He ties Fitzwilliam to a totem pole and rows to shore of a nearby island. Reactivating time, Jack and Fitz walked through the jungle and fall into pits, only to be rescued by Aztecs. They throw Jack and Fitz to a volcano and seal the way out. A sabertooth tiger suddenly leaps ot at Jack as he freezes time once again. Finding a way out, he carries Fitz to the exit and unfreezes time. Suddenly the volcano erupts and Jack and his friend jump from tree to tree, finding a palace. Inside, Jack and Fitz suddenly fall through the floor, revealing they had been there before, on their first adventure. Finding Jack and Fitzwilliam, the natives take them to a throne room, where they find Stone Eyed Sam. Jack and Fitz hold the watch and freeze time, escaping Sam's power with the Sword of Cortes. Fitz sees pterosuars and they realize the watch is doing more than freeze time!

Dance of the Hours

Release Date: September 25, 2007 (U.S.A.)While trying the keep the mysterious pocket watch out of the hands of their enemies, Jack and Fitzwilliam have unlocked another one of its powers: Time travel. Who knows where or when they're going to turn up! Jack and Fitz run into Torrents, who they had marooned on the island in vol. 1. He hurls them to a volcano using waterspouts and the creature Chancito comes out saying they have till midnight to put things right. Jack and Fitzwilliam are captured by Davy Jones and run into Tia Dalma on the Flying Dutchman, who then helps them ecsape. Jack is told that the pocketwatch must be put on the hand of someone who doesn't belong in his time. He enters a battle with Torrents and Stone-Eyed Sam and puts the watch on Sam's wrist. At the last second, Dalma pulled the watch from Sam and everything reverts to normal. Chancito tells Dalma she will remember something and both disappear. Jack sees a mysterious pirate flag and says they have to leave. Fitz puts his sword to Jack's back and reveals he was undercover for the Navy the whole time so Jack would lead them to Teague.

Sins of the Father

Release Date: December 18, 2007 (U.S.A.)Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III is really working for the Royal Navy and now threatens to kill Jack and his father. If that weren't bad enough, Jack is being chased down by his father, Captain Teague. With the forces of both the Crown and the carousers pursuing him, will Jack be able to hold on to his cherished freedom?

Poseidon's Peak

Release Date: April 29, 2008 (U.S.A.) Having been recently betrayed by his last crew member, Jack finds himself all alone on perhaps the most dangerous quest of his young life. Jack is on a mission to find something he isn't even sure exists- the mythical Trident of Neptune. But there's a band of pirates who are also looking for the treasure. Will they, or Jack, find it first?

Neptune's in Command

Release Date: May 15, 2008 (U.S.A.)

Jack's Soul

Release Date: July 22, 2008 (U.S.A.)

Bold New Horizons

Release Date: July 29, 2008 (U.S.A.)

Trivia

The first four books and the Captain's Log made references to the movies e.g. Jack argues with a man about the use of sea turtles as rafts.

At the end of the first book Jack defeats the ominous pirate captain Torrents. Torrents uses his supernatural powers to fight against Jack and his friends creating a storm. Jack throws water towards him because "few people know lightning and water don't mix well". After the battle he says that "he told little Ben that someday that trick with the kite and the key will do a great job" - a reference to Benjamin Franklin.

It is revealed that Fitz's tutor taught him of dinosaurs as a child in vol. 8, The Timekeeper.

In vol.10, Sins of the Father, it is said that Jack's Grandmama has tried to kill Jack on 3 separate occasions. And she has half a dozen daggers kept in her girdle.