A stunning middle-grade debut--full of heart, humor, and nonstop action
It's tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody's trying to kill you.
Not that Egg's life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.
But when Egg's father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect.
Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff.
Suddenly, Egg's running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he's been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy.
Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.
On sale: March 5, 2013
Age: 10 and up
Grade: Grade 5 & Up
Page count: 320 Pages
ISBN: 9780142426623
Reading level: Lexile: 940L
Geoff Rodkey grew up in Freeport, Illinois, a place with no ugly fruit plantations, volcanoes, or gainfully employed pirates, although someone did briefly want to kill him when he was a teenager. He currently lives with his family on an island just off the coast of North America. He has not been to sea since an ill-fated kite fishing expedition in the Florida Keys encountered such choppy waters that his nine-year-old son threw up on his four-year-old son's head while the author was preoccupied with trying to help his seven-year-old son barf over the gunwale. This is his first book.
“In this rip-roaring debut . . . Lemony Snicket meets Pirates of the Caribbean, with a sprinkling of
Tom Sawyer for good measure.” —Rick Riordan, bestselling author of the Percy Jackson series
“The fast-paced swashbuckling will surely satisfy fans of adventure, but it’s really Egg’s narration that makes this pirate story rise above its counterparts . . . Colorful dialogue (including plenty of piratespeak) and a fully realized setting that will have readers wiping the sea spray from their brows round out this delightful nautical yarn.” —
BCCB, starred review
“Full of action. . . a great read.”—
Time for Kids
“[A] swashbuckling story.” —
School Library Journal
“…Rodkey combines humor and adventure in a story full of cruise ships, wild pigs, treasure maps, and constant peril.” —
Publishers Weekly
“This introduction to the Chronicles of Egg series is pure fun.” —
Booklist
“This promising new series starts out strong with a story filled to brim with pirates, treasure, intrigue and swashbuckling suspense . . . Egg’s first-person account is compelling, and the dialogue and vivid setting, as well as the full cast of quirky characters, make it easy to get lost in this adventure.” —
Kirkus Reviews
