The wondrous tale of Lavender Wolfe by Karen Foxlee

“You’re so much bigger than your name, always remember that. All of us are a tale within a tale within a tale.” p13

And so begins the new life of Hans Whitby, formerly known as Lavender Wolfe, a young pickpurse left alone on the steps of a wharf and taken to become a galley boy on the pirate ship, The Good Marchioness. Unbeknown to Lavender she has a magical secret that can only be smelt by a giant ogress known as Big Agatha who finds abandoned children with special powers and brings them to her galley to assist in a dangerous voyage to ‘find treasure before the dawn of the seventh year or be turned to sand.' Unfortunately for Hans this time is approaching very quickly and she reluctantly becomes a key to the seemingly impossible quest for the spectral map that will lead them to The Marigold’s treasure. 

Early in the first few challenging days at sea, Hans meets an array of assorted characters including the galley boys: Poppet, Colin, Peter, Thomas, King Samuel. Big Agatha is the one fierce constant in their lives but is Big Agatha the person she really seems to be? She herself has a terrible story and burden to bear. There is the frightening and unpredictable Captain Odyessia Pleasant, a fierce pirate with a bird's wing in place of an arm, a severed ear on the left side of her face along with a ragged scar, and the ghost-fetcher, The Little Duchess, who befriends Hans and they spend time together on the ship learning from each other.

Over the course of the journey Hans learns about the terrible curse, the ghostship The Lady Eloise and its devilish crew, loses some of the galley companions and is instrumental in the fight for survival. She also suffers great heartache when a friendship is lost. For Hans and the crew will the curse be broken if and when the treasure is found after a perilous journey? Will Hans ever be able to return to her life as Lavender Wolfe or is there something more instore for her?

This phenomenal read by award-winning author Karen Foxlee is rich in language and descriptive imagery so real that pictures form in the mind of the reader. It is an epic saga which will enthral those middle grade children who enjoy a swashbuckling adventure full of action, drama, a crew of misfits otherwise known as the Worshipful Company of Uncommon Seaman, ghost ship with ghost pirates, fateful curses, danger and endless magic.

A truly engaging and exciting read. Highly recommended.

Themes: Adventure, Fantasy, Pirates, Ghost Ships, Treasure, Companions, Danger, Magic, Stories, Secrets, Bravery.

Kathryn Beilby