March 08, 2010




The Pirates of Crocodile Swamp

The Pirates of Crocodile Swamp is an easy-to-read but not-too-boring adventure by Jim Arnonsky about to young boys. When their alcoholic father abducts them and takes them to the Florida Keys, Sandy and Jack (who are, coincidentally, the same age my brother and I; Sandy: 11, Me:11. Jack: 9, my brother: 9) escape into Crocodile Swamp with limited supplies and fend off hungry sharks, poisonous snakes and giant crocodiles. But it is only with the help of newfound friends can they truly escape from their past.

My favorite parts of the book are when they describe their feelings toward their dad and about running away. Since Jack is the less mature one, he has a lot of turbulent emotions clashing within him. Sandy is pretty much focused on one goal: do whatever it takes to get as far away from their dad as possible, so I liked reading about what they felt like.

Jim Arnonsky was born on September 1st, 1946. In 1976 Jim and his wife Deanna moved 

 to Vermont with his two daughters. He continues to live there today and is self-taught, in writing, the arts and the sciences.

This is and extremely relaxing read, that you might read on a boring day. For anyone who loves the swamps or nature, this is the book for you.

1 comment:

Michael said...

You really picked up on the similarity between the boys in the book and the ages of you and your brother. Could you relate to their feelings about their father, even though you may not have gone through a similar experience?