EXTRACT:
Jasmine Peacock sat on a bench, beneath a tall Flame Tree, at the top of Swashbuckle
Hill. Swashbuckle Hill was the highest point of Pirate Academy’s lush sweep of gardens.
According to school legend, the hill had been given its name by the first students to step
foot inside Pirate Academy, thirteen years ago.
It was strange to think that the Academy was only thirteen years old. Only two years
older than me, Jasmine thought. She had arrived here when she was seven-years-old.
Pirate Academy was so much more than her school – it was her second home. She
knew that the feeling was shared by every one of her classmates. There were just fifteen
students in each year, drawn from the most famous and successful pirate families. It was
tough to get a place here, and you had to work hard to keep it. Jasmine felt proud to be
an Academy student.
The young students of Barracuda Class were bathed in golden light from the rays of the
setting sun. All eyes were locked on the harbour below, where flaming torches had been
lit to mark the entrance to the school. Tonight was a very special night for Barracuda
Class. It was Captains’ Evening, which began with all of their parents sailing their ships
to Skullhead Rock, ten nautical miles away, then racing against each other to the finish
at the Academy harbour.
“Feeling confident?” came a familiar voice at Jasmine’s ear. “The Peacocks always
come in first, right?” Jasmine smiled as her friend Jacoby Blunt sat down beside her.
“We’ll see,” she said.
“We shall indeed!” Jacoby’s legs drummed excitedly on the ground. He turned away
from Jasmine to beckon over his roommate. “Wing! Wing! Come over here! It’s starting!”
Wing waved and jogged over to join his friends.
“What’s the emergency, Blunt?”
“Take a look yourself,” Jacoby answered. “I think you’re about to win!”
Wing’s eyes zeroed in on the harbour as the first ship sailed into view. It was a very fine
ship with ten sails, its main mast over fifty feet tall. And, of course, a skull-and
crossbones flag flew high on top, flapping in the evening breeze.
“Go Mum!” Wing cried, fist-pumping the air. A chorus of groans came from his
classmates.
“Bad luck, Jasmine!” Jacoby said. “It’s a Moon victory tonight.”
Jasmine shrugged. She was pleased for Wing. She saw how proudly he watched The
Enigma, the glorious ship captained by Raven Moon, slide into dock.
Watch a video of Justin unboxing the second instalment in this great series here, via his Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8glFtoP021/
Synopsis
The whole of Pirate Academy is abuzz with anticipation for the upcoming Oceans Bound weekend. It’s the first time the young pirate apprentices of Barracuda Class will set sail as five independent crews – with no teacher oversight!
Excitement reaches fever-pitch as Commodore Kuo and Captain Salt reveal which of the fifteen Barracudas will act as captains for Oceans Bound. Jacoby is devastated when he isn’t picked, which makes things difficult for Jasmine when she is chosen. But worse, much worse, is in store, when Jasmine is told that her Uncle Noah – a ringleader of the League of True Pirates – has, against all odds, broken out of the Pirate Federation’s maximum security prison. Fearing that he will try to make contact with Jasmine, the Head and Deputy give Jasmine the chance to opt out of Oceans Bound. But Jasmine is not about to let her renegade uncle ruin everything.
The five Barracuda crews set sail with hope and adventure in their hearts, beginning a complex trail of tasks, each delivered to its crew via a note in a coloured glass bottle. For one crew, the tasks quickly become much more dangerous. As they bravely navigate poisonous snakes, venomous spiders, sharks and skulls, it becomes clear that someone else is now in control of Oceans Bound.
It’s going to take everything they’ve got for our plucky young pirates to complete the course and triumph against their fiendish enemy.
Follow Justin on X and Instagram as @justinsomper
Check out more content and reviews on other stops on the blogtour on the dates/sites below:
My thanks to Justin and publisher Uclan for a spot on the blogtour and the extract to share as part of it. Buy a copy yourself here: https://uclanpublishing.com/book/missing-at-sea/
Post by Rich Simpson (@richreadalot) July 2024
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