Harper Collins Australia
September 2026
- Imprint: Usborne GB
- ISBN: 9781835400968
- RRP: $17.99
It certainly was pretty apt that I would be reading this at exactly the right time for Talk Like a Pirate Day – and what fun it was [given my penchant for pirates in general –after all, there was the pirate wedding at one point!].
What happens if you are the son of one of the most fearsome pirates in history but you actually get seasick – and you’re a bit of a wimp really and would rather be the ship’s cook?
And what happens if you’re really a princess and meant to be wearing gorgeously pretty dresses and sparkly jewels but really you are determined to be a pirate?
Wilbur and Ellie, both taken on as pirate candidates under the famous Captain Odessa Stormheart, are struggling indeed to make any positive impression and when they are teamed up with Gilbert from the Cutclaw clan, things don’t get much better.
But the trio has a mission to prove their worth against their competition. Find the best treasure you can in five days – hmmmm, sounds simple? Not really but this is rollicking good fun throughout as Wilbur, Ellie and Gilbert plus assorted animal companions (a completely subversive parrot and a completely bonkers two-tailed lemur) knock the edges off each other and start to work as a team in order to find the cursed Sea Witch’s Hag’s Stone – which was long ago taken and hidden by – well, I can’t tell you that because it would spoil the adventure.
Let’s just say Wilbur has quite a lot to learn about his family history. There are lots of close calls and tricky escapes and the final clash is a cracker but this unlikely triplet of inept potential pirates actually manage to maintain a semblance of credibility along the way – though not always in the most orthodox manner. More importantly, each one learns more about themselves, self-belief, self-confidence and being true to oneself.
Kiddos from around year 3 will love this as the text is marvellously interspersed with hilarious illustrations, short chapters and colourful pages throughout.
I definitely give it a yo ho ho 5 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️-arggggghhhh! – for readers from year 3 upwards.
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