A captivating retelling of the story of Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen of Ireland, and her struggle to protect the friends, family, and country that she loved. A true daughter of the fearsome O’Malley clan, Grace spent her life wishing to join the fight to keep Henry VIII’s armies from invading her homeland of Ireland — only to be told again and again that the battlefield is no place for a woman. But after English conspirators brutally murder her husband, Grace can no longer stand idly by. Leading men into battle on the high seas, Grace O’Malley quickly gains a formidable reputation as the Pirate Queen of Ireland with her prowess as a sailor and skill with a sword. But her newfound notoriety puts the lives of Grace and her entire family in danger and eventually leads to a confrontation with the most powerful woman in England: Queen Elizabeth I. With a gripping narrative and vivid, action-packed illustrations, the fourth entry in Tony Lee and Sam Hart’s Heroes and Heroines series captures the intensity and passion of one of history’s fiercest female warriors. Gr 5–9-Before she was the notorious Pirate Queen, Grace O'Malley was a teenager eager to sail the seas. When in 1546 she sneaks on board her father's ship as he sails to Spain, Grace is drawn into the war between the English and the Irish. Grace marries and settles down with children, but when her husband is murdered, she once again returns to the seas in defense of Ireland, beginning a decades-long crusade against her eventual nemesis, Elizabeth I. This is a character-driven epic, and readers will press on to continue Grace's exploits, rather than follow along for a history lesson. Lee wisely focuses on Grace and her rotating cast of supporting allies; while those unfamiliar with the time period will occasionally be confused, they can follow the emotional arc of its heroine. Hart's illustrations imbue the many historical skirmishes with a gravitas befitting a Marvel or DC battle. The long life of Grace O'Malley means that Lee has quite a bit of plot to work through; younger readers might be perplexed, particularly as Grace ages and the second half of her story becomes more complex. VERDICT This swashbuckling tale of a real-life pirate is recommended for libraries in need of historical fiction.-Matisse Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library In this exciting graphic novel, fierce, scarlet-haired Grace O'Malley grows up on the sea alongside her chieftain father in Ireland...Hart's illustrations are vigorously kinetic, creating compelling scenes of battle that rocket along at a breakneck pace more electrifying than any action movie. While Lee and Hart's previous volumes tackled more widely known figures (such as Joan of Arc and Robin Hood), discovering the legend of Grace O'Malley feels like unearthing a hidden gem. The tale takes place in the United Kingdom in the 1500s; all characters portrayed present white. Spirited, thrilling, and wonderful. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) The exciting biography, the fourth in Lee and Hart’s Heroes and Heroines series, will encourage teens to learn more about O’Malley, pirates, and Irish-English history, but it will also make them examine the qualities they can expect from laudable leaders. —Booklist Tony Lee is a prolific comic-book writer who has worked on X-Men, Doctor Who, and Starship Troopers and is the author of Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood; Excalibur: The Legend of King Arthur; and Messenger: The Legend of Joan of Arc . He has also written for radio, television, and newspapers. Tony Lee lives in England. Sam Hart is a comic-book illustrator who has worked on Starship Troopers, Judge Dredd, and Brothers: The Fall of Lucifer. He is also the illustrator of Tony Lee’s Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood; Excalibur: The Legend of King Arthur; and Messenger: The Legend of Joan of Arc . Sam Hart lives in Brazil.