Michael L. Cooper

"excellent portrait" Kirkus, August 15, 2006

John Paul Jones' body lies in a marble crypt at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland. In death, as in life, this American hero commands the deepest affection of his fellow countrymen.

Veteran children's writer Michael Cooper takes a fresh look at one of the most colorful characters of the Revolutionary War period. The war is viewed from Jones's perspective and the reader lives out all the uncertainties, the risks, and the dangers faced by Jones with each dramatic battle at sea.

A Scots immigrant, John Paul Jones arrived in America on the eve of the War for Independence, and went on to serve in the Continental Navy. The arc of his exciting life's narrative would lead him to deliver the sting of war to the British people.

We follow Jones's seaborne odyssey until his fate is forged in the biggest naval battle of the American Revolution. Jones and his crew aboard the Bonhomme Richard engage the Royal Navy's Serapis and vanquish the world's greatest sea power. The name of John Paul Jones is thereafter etched into the imagination of generations of American schoolboys. Now, Hero of the High Seas gives our generation an original, accurate, and objective historical reference point for one of our country's earliest naval heroes.

In Jones we meet a determined, commanding man who demanded perfection and constantly strove for improvement. Although he remained a well-respected inspirational figure to his men, Jones's fiery temper also led him into several clashes with authority.

Michael Cooper tells the story of this hero of the high seas with an invigorating realism and eye for detail.

This historical biography is generously illustrated with period artwork, and photographs of historical artifacts. Fine National Geographic cartography traces the voyages and ports of call of this American hero. 128 pages. Hardcover. 6 1/2'' x 8 1/2''. © 2006

Michael Cooper is the award-winning author of numerous nonfiction titles for young readers. Cooper's book Dust to Eat: Drought and Depression in the 1930s, won the 2004 Golden Kite Award. He lives in Washington, D.C., and regularly speaks to schoolchildren about American history.

For ages 10 & up.

RICHIE'S PICKS


As Michael L. Cooper tells the tale of the Scottish gardener's son who became a revolutionary hero, the reader is treated to a wealth of action and gore on the high seas, along with a well-trimmed accounting of how Jones' life and career fit into the events preceeding, and events of, the American Revolution.

HERO OF THE HIGH SEAS could well serve as a model for the exemplary trade informational text that is appropriate for a diversity of readers. Within its 121 pages there are a wealth of primary source materials, an abundance of illustrations and graphics, and clear explanations of the ships, the War, and all aspects of the man. In those portions of the tale that could especially be of great interest to the young history aficionado, such as the frequently amusing communications by, and about, the scoundrel, err...I mean naval hero, the story never once bogs down in a manner that would cause the more reluctant readers to lose interest.

I picked up this book with no expectations that the life of John Paul Jones would be of interest to me. Thanks to Michael L. Cooper, I've soaked up an abundance of fascinating information about the life and times (and foibles) of this complex American revolutionary.

Richie Partington

KIRKUS

Cooper, Michael HERO OF THE HIGH SEAS
Kirkus, August 15, 2006 - After killing a sailor in Tobago, Captain John Paul took the name John Jones (and later John Paul Jones) and fled to Virginia, where he planned on becoming an aristocrat like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Tracing the parallel stories of the colonies' road to independence and Jones's road to heroism, Cooper writes with clear and lively prose, effectively incorporating quotations for dramatic effect. Maps and photographs of period artwork and historical artifacts enliven the text. Source notes are solid, a suggestion for further reading includes a small but excellent set of works for young readers and a list of places to visit will support those who wish to learn more. Though the final pages compress many years and much history, this is an excellent portrait of a character with many flaws, demonstrating, as Senator John McCain says in the foreword, "the ability to achieve great things in spite of our weaknesses." (timeline, words and expressions from the historical era, index) (Nonfiction. 10+)
Publication Date: 9/12/2006 0:00:00
Publisher: National Geographic
Stage: Children's
ISBN: 0-7922-5547-X
Price: $21.95
Author: Cooper, Michael

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

COOPER, Michael L. Hero of the High Seas: John Paul Jones and the American Revolution.

Gr 4-8–Cooper charts his subject’s life from a scandal-ridden Scottish captain on a trading ship to a man of self-invention who came to the American colonies to start a new life and became a naval hero. Jones is presented as a loyal captain, an arrogant leader, a determined sailor, and a flagrant social climber. The narrative style will appeal to reluctant readers, for it reads like a chronicle of thrilling naval adventures; facts about military strategy, weaponary, and sailing are cleverly interwoven into detailed descriptions of battles with enemy ships and incidents of mutiny. The text is clear and understandable, even in view of the possibly unfamiliar nautical terminology. No mention is made of Jones’s original livelihood as a third mate on a slave ship and his initial indifference toward the cruelties of chattel slavery. Archival reproductions, maps, naval antiques, and battle-plan diagrams appear throughout. Additionally, there is a foreword by Senator John McCain, a time line of Jones’s life and Colonial American history, a sailing glossary, and suggestions for further reading and places to visit. This is a solid purchase for libraries in need of exciting nonfiction titles as opposed to routine biographies for assignments.–Michael Santangelo, Brooklyn Public Library

128p. diags. maps. photos. reprods. chron. further reading. glossary. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. National Geographic. Sept. reading. glossary. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. National Geogra phic. Sept. 2006. Tr $21.95. ISBN 0-7922-5547-X; PLB $32.90. ISBN 0-7922-5548-8. LC 2005036256