Magic Marks the Spot: A Middle Grade Pirate Adventure with Magic and a Talking Gargoyle for Children (Ages 8-12) (Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, 1)

Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle?!

Caroline Carlson's funny tween novel The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot is perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events and Trenton Lee Stewart's Mysterious Benedict Society.

Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword.

There's only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.

But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn't exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas.

Written with uproarious wit and an inviting storyteller tone, the first book in Caroline Carlson's quirky seafaring series is a piratical tale like no other.

But can a girl who’s supposed to be learning macramé really become the most fearsome pirate on the High Seas?

• A Girl Pirate Who Won't Take No for an Answer: Hilary Westfield can out-sail and out-knot any boy in the navy. The only thing standing in her way is a stuffy, all-male pirate league.
• An Unlikely Friendship: Hilary's only ally is her loyal, stone gargoyle who offers questionable advice and would much rather stay warm and dry.
• From Finishing School to High Seas: Instead of learning about petticoats and politeness, Hilary escapes the dreaded Miss Pimm’s Finishing School for Delicate Ladies for the adventure of a lifetime.
• A Magical Treasure Hunt: Follow a mysterious map without an X on a quest for a legendary treasure, alongside a crew of misfit scallywags and the most unexpected villain on the High Seas.

Caroline Carlson is the author of the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series and The World's Greatest Detective. She holds an MFA in writing for children from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives with her family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can visit her online at www.carolinecarlsonbooks.com.