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José and the Pirate Captain Toledano

José’s father is in prison and now the evil Captain DeGuzman is after him. Will José’s dangerous secret keep him from becoming a pirate and saving his father?
Ages 10+
Pages 96
Publisher Kar-Ben
Coming Apr 2022
Awards
PJ Our Way Author Incentive Award Winner

Average Rating

80 Reviews
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What the Book Is About

It’s 1547, and 14-year-old José and his father are Portuguese refugees living in the colony of Santo Domingo. José knows he’s different from everyone else, but it isn’t until the evil Captain DeGuzman arrests his father that José learns they’re Jewish and hiding from the Spanish Inquisition. After his father is arrested, José escapes to a pirate ship that had just come ashore. But when José and the Pirate Captain Toledano learn they share a dangerous secret, José’s future is plunged into uncertainty.
 
This action-packed graphic novel is a coming-of-age story about survival, justice, figuring out who you are, and finding your tribe.

Jewish Content & Values

  • José, his father, and Captain Toledano are all crypto-Jews, members of the Sephardic Jewish community expelled from Spain in 1492 as part of the Inquisition.
  • José and Captain Toledano speak Ladino, or Judeo-Spanish, a mix of Spanish, Hebrew, Turkish, and other languages.
  • The only heirloom that José escapes with is a silver kiddush cup. Captain Toledano and José use it to celebrate Shabbat at the end of the book.
  • Justice is a central theme in this book; at one point, Captain Toledano quotes the famous words from the book of Dueteronomy: “Justice, justice, you shall pursue.”

Content Advisory

As this is a pirate story set during the Inquisition, there are fight scenes and a reference to Captain Toledano’s father being burned at the stake by Captain DeGuzman’s father. However, there are no graphic scenes or drawings.
What the Book Is About

What the Book Is About

It’s 1547, and 14-year-old José and his father are Portuguese refugees living in the colony of Santo Domingo. José knows he’s different from everyone else, but it isn’t until the evil Captain DeGuzman arrests his father that José learns they’re Jewish and hiding from the Spanish Inquisition. After his father is arrested, José escapes to a pirate ship that had just come ashore. But when José and the Pirate Captain Toledano learn they share a dangerous secret, José’s future is plunged into uncertainty.
 
This action-packed graphic novel is a coming-of-age story about survival, justice, figuring out who you are, and finding your tribe.

Jewish Content & Values

  • José, his father, and Captain Toledano are all crypto-Jews, members of the Sephardic Jewish community expelled from Spain in 1492 as part of the Inquisition.
  • José and Captain Toledano speak Ladino, or Judeo-Spanish, a mix of Spanish, Hebrew, Turkish, and other languages.
  • The only heirloom that José escapes with is a silver kiddush cup. Captain Toledano and José use it to celebrate Shabbat at the end of the book.
  • Justice is a central theme in this book; at one point, Captain Toledano quotes the famous words from the book of Dueteronomy: “Justice, justice, you shall pursue.”

Content Advisory

As this is a pirate story set during the Inquisition, there are fight scenes and a reference to Captain Toledano’s father being burned at the stake by Captain DeGuzman’s father. However, there are no graphic scenes or drawings.