A story of friendship, with a ghostly pirate twist. This was a wonderfully adventurous read with a nice twisty mystery! Middle grade readers will be completely entranced by the characters and quickly devour this story. I highly recommend this story.

this was a strong duology and had a great overall concept. I thought the supernatural element worked well in this story. The characters were everything that I was hoping for and thought the pirate elements worked. Jenny McLachlan has a great writing style and enjoyed previous work from the author.

5 plus

Are you WEIRD? If being weird means going on adventure, being curious, enjoying life, questioning things, and wanting to learn without being afraid of making mistakes or minding what others may think, then I want to be weird too. I love that Zen tells us weird (before) meant that it was someone who controls fate.

From the author of Land of Roar comes a fantastic and exciting treasure hunt adventure, a beautifully illustrated standalone that could also become an amazing series.

Sid (Sidonie) is becoming more shy and isolated, afraid of taking chances. She misses her mom who died when she was a baby, and can't stand up to bullies in school. Her best friend Zen (Zennor) is proudly weird but Sid doesn't want to be in the spotlight, she cares what others think. She prefers to spend time in the graveyard, drawing her map of Fathom (a town on the coast of east England) ... when, without knowing (her power) she releases a three-hundred-year-old ghost from his curse. This pirate is Captain Bones (Ezekiel Kittow) of the Black Gannett.

What I love the most is that Sid accepts to help the pirate break the curse by promising to find his treasure. He is not the only soul trapped by the eerie Old Scratch who starts hunting Sid down as well.

So much detail and creativity that makes the story so much fun to read. I couldn't put it down.

Sid grows so much. The quest not only helps her to come out of her shell and stand up for her beliefs, but she also connects with her late mom, recovers her friendship with Zen, and grows in the community.

I loved this adventure of pirates, ghosts, treasure maps, sunken ships, the Pirate Day celebration, the parade, and her father's miniature model city. Adding Zen's Museum of Curiosities, the treasure hunt, Elizabeth the Parrot, dressing up as a pirate, and playing games in a friendly competition.

thank you publisher for the e-arc.