Fond memories of reading Andy Stanton’s inventive and hysterically daft Mr Gum series as a family were brought to mind from the very beginning of this pirate adventure, which hurtles along at breakneck speed and manages to pack in a great deal of plot. Our hero Mabel Jones takes her kidnapping by a motley crew of anthropomorphic animal pirates in her stride. Though the captain never warms to her, being far too consumed by his mission to collect all the pieces of a mysterious broken X (which marks an ingenious spot, in this case), the rest of the team admire Mabel’s qualities, especially her ability to read, her bravery and her kindness. That she also picks her nose makes her an even better feminist role model (yes, girls are gross too).

This is no run-of-the-mill pirate mission, and the place where Mabel has been taken is gradually revealed to be a lot further away from home than she first thought. Highlights include the superbly named and vengeful loris Omynus Hussh, lively illustrations of all the inventive animal characters, a brilliantly disguised little boy who shows up at an opportune moment just when the plot is at its thickest, and of course the pirate-speak, which never fails to amuse. For confident readers over 8 or a fun family read.

Emily Gale