The Pirates of Plagiarism

Gr 2—3—While the librarian shelves books, a gang of pirates lurks outside the peaceful Clearview School Library. Spying a treasure chest through the window, Captain Bumbo sneaks into the building along with his disreputable mates. They capture Mrs. Finch and refuse to believe her protestations that the chest is empty. Before the scoundrels can escape with their loot, several children arrive to finish their reports on sharks. When they ask for help, hey are told to cut and paste, copy word-for-word, and plunder someone else's report, which is "exactly what Mrs. Finch had taught them NOT to do." Only the parrot reiterates the rules for proper research. The pirates are delighted to learn the definition of plagiarism, "stealing another person's work and pretending it's yours," and dub themselves the "Pirates of Plagiarism." Finally, Mrs. Finch escapes and confronts them. They make their escape with the empty treasure chest while the librarian tells her students, "Real treasure can only be found in your brain." The bright cartoon illustrations add humor to this lighthearted take on an important issue. Young researchers will appreciate the appended list of "Plagiarism Dos and Don'ts."—Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA