The Ghost of Gasparilla

A Silky and Sly Adventure

Children - Preteen
256 Pages
Reviewed on 08/23/2013
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot is a Clinical Psychologist and author. She writes family-friendly books for those from ages two to one hundred and two. She has won multiple awards from Readers Favorite and her books are used at schools, colleges and libraries across the nation.

Dr. Pirnot's book AS I AM was co-authored by Garret Frey, a former patient who struggled to obtain a free public education as a quadriplegic, ventilator-dependent child. He fought through the courts, a battle which ended up before the judges of the US Supreme Court. The judgment in the case is now a hallmark decision affecting thousands of handicapped children across the nation. The 5 book, mid-grade series called Ordinary Kids features various special needs people (children and adults) in everyday situations.

Tapping into her work as a psychologist, Dr. Pirnot puts her characters into realistic but difficult situations and then allows them to dig their way through to successful results. This approach allows both child and adult characters to feel a sense of efficacy in their own abilities.

The autobiography Just A Common Lady details Dr. Pirnot's own struggles as a child. Her mother died at a young age, leaving Dr. Pirnot and her siblings in the care of various family members for years. The lessons she learned from these caretakers undoubtedly influenced her multivariate approach as a practicing psychologist.

Dr. Pirnot may be reached at her website:
www.drpirnotbooks.com

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jean Hall for Readers' Favorite

Who wouldn't like to go on a treasure hunt? Fifth-grade friends Silky and Sly discover a haunted ghost ship and buried treasure. Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot in The Ghost of Gasparilla: A Silky and Sly Adventure makes a children's dream come true.

Silky, a curious but bored little girl, writes a paper about the pirate Gasparilla. She tells the story to Sly, an eager but distracted little boy. The kids spend a summer with Silky's Aunt Maude and Uncle Harry in Port Charlotte, Florida. They snorkel in the reefs, find sand dollars, and encounter colorful characters. As they are snorkeling, they discover a 150-year-old ship called Floridablanca. As the discovery turns to a salvage operation, the ghost of Gasparilla is released and his specter is felt and seen. He has gone down with the treasure-laden ship rather than be captured.

The characters explore their imaginations by studying pirate history and then those ideas and images become part of their actual summer vacation. The frequent dialogue and descriptions make the incredible tale easier to believe. There are occasional pictures of a pirate, a ship, a chest of buried treasure, and a scary image of the sunken ghost. The children learn many things as they go on this exciting adventure.

The Ghost of Gasparilla is geared for a pre-teen audience but adults can enjoy the story too. Dr. Hutchins Pirnot is a retired clinical psychologist and she brings her insight to this somewhat tall tale.