Illustrated by Anna Chernyshova

Published by Scholastic, 2016.

This is the first book in a new series of pirate stories and it’s packed full of adventure and skulduggery. It follows Tommy and his friends, Jo and Milton, as they embark on their first term at pirate school. School is upon the Seven Seas aboard the Rusty Barnacle, Captain Firebeard’s boat. There are lessons in how to speak like a pirate; climbing the rigging; cutlass swishing and pirate history. Forget school book bags and house teams though, here pupils are assigned a parrot and their own special pirate name. Before long, the three friends are putting their newly acquired skills into practice on a daredevil quest to find the lost treasure of Mandaloo.

The book is richly illustrated by Anna Chernyshova in black, white and a fiery, neon orange – matching Captain Firebeard’s unruly beard. There are full page and double page illustrations, as well as pictures alongside the text, and they perfectly capture the excitement and humour of the story.

Captain Firebeard’s School for Pirates has everything you could wish for in a pirate adventure: a treasure map and buried treasure, secret codes to decipher, wooden legs, eye patches, and a zip wire made of spaghetti.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 6+

Thank you to Scholastic for sending me this book to review.