"An intricate and sometimes very funny story. ...well-researched and carries the reader seamlessly from Oliver Cromwell's Ireland to a modern-day trailer park in a small Pennsylvania town—the character of Saffron is the embodiment of an escapist fantasy.

"Thirty-five years ago, the book "My Brother Sam is Dead" was published. It is classified as "young adult" but it was nominated for a National Book Award and it re-emphasized that literature, on any level, is meant to challenge and free the spirit. As the title implies, it deals with death and does so thoughtfully and touchingly. It would be a crime if teenagers were ever denied the challenges and fun that books like that and "The Dust of 100 Dogs" offer simply because the author employs language and themes that some adult deems inappropriate. Plus, this one has pirates."