The Jolley Rogers and the Ghostly Galleon

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 13, 2016

Review

All is not well in the coastal town of Dull-On-Sea. The full moon has appeared and that means a visit from a pirate ghost ship. This time gold and other valuables have disappeared all over town. Matilda, a young girl in town, is determined to solve the mystery and return the stolen treasure. Plus, she loves everything pirate. Her best friend is a pirate. And she didn't want the thieving ghost pirates to give pirates a bad name. So Matilda contacts her pirate friend for help. Soon the pirate ship the Blackhole arrives to help. Aboard is her best friend Jim Lad, his peg legged dog Bones, Jim Lad's baby sister Nugget and their mom and dad. What a fearsome pirate crew, not. Can Matilda, Jim Lad and the rest of the Jolly-Rogers solve the mystery in time? Or will they suffer at the hands of the ghost pirates? Find out in this rousing swashbuckling pirate adventure. It is packed with humor, mystery, sea shanties and good writing. There is even a glossary of pirate terms at the back of the book. The gray scale and black and white illustrations appear generously throughout the book. They provide the reader with a clearer understanding of the story as well as being humorous. And they provide a good break in the reading. This series is a nice combination of chapter book and graphic novel. It will please parents whose children are fixated on graphic novels and want them reading regular chapters books. And it will please children who just love to read graphic novel like books. This series is also a good transition chapter book for children ready to leave the easy reader section, but are not quite ready for more substantial chapter books. These books are under 150 pages and include lots of illustrations. The text is humorous and very child friendly. This title (& series) would also be good for struggling older readers. A quick, fun and enjoyable read for grades 3-5. Not a first purchase, but if your library is in need of pirate stories for younger readers not ready for the likes of the Vampirates series or Brian Jacques' series Castaways of the Flying Dutchman.

Overall Book Score: good