Blunderbeard is a boy pirate in a family of pirates. He’s more of an inventor than a reckless scoundrel of the seas and loves cupcakes. A Pirate of the Year competition is the worst possible place for him to show off his skills. His mom and older brother don’t give him much support.

The UK series has its U.S. release this month and readers transitioning to middle grade novels will find this to be a gentle bridge to cross. Humor, graphics, and some wild inventions will have them smiling (A Scuba-Hen™, The Snatch-A-Rat™, and the Scrub-O-Matic™ to name just a few of his wild contraptions). There’s also a chicken named Boris who comes aboard after an unhappy parrot left Blunderbeard’s crew. Turns out Boris is more than a chicken.

Amusing graphics appear on most pages, including drawings of many of the inventions. Lighthearted and fun to read, I’m sure we will be seeing the rest of the series released here in the coming years. It’s a welcome addition to an emerging MG reader’s library.

THE OFFICIAL PLOT (From AMAZON)

Author Amy Sparkes writes for children of all ages. Her picture books have been shortlisted for several book awards, including the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2013 and the Booktrust Best Books Awards 2014.

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Coming up this Monday is another edition of…

If you would like to join in the MMGM fun, all you have to do is blog about a middle grade book on a Monday (contests, author interviews, or anything middle grade related also count). Email me the title of the book or feature and a link to your blog at gpcolo[at]gmail[dot]com

Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and please don’t forget to say what book or author you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for the coming Monday.

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