Pirate Academy: Sword Echoes
Justin Somper, illustrated by Teo Skaffa
uclan publishing

The third book in this terrific Pirate Academy series is the most breath-taking and action-packed so far. The three young buccaneering students find out more about one another and equally important, about themselves.

As the story opens Neo is sailing with Captain December Wilde and Pickle, her pet boar, following a trail of clues left for him by his legend mother, Captain Doll Darkwater. Neo’s formed a bond with Pickle but misses his Academy friends, Jasmine and Jacoby most of all, even more so as he has no idea when he will next see them.

Meanwhile, Jasmine and Jacoby are horrified to discover something unexpected about their much-loved teacher, Captain Victor Molina; he has defected to LOT P (the League of True Pirates). Whilst endeavouring to make sense of the betrayal, Jacoby discovers some evidence that one of his classmates could be the next target for LOT P : now Ocean (Jasmine’s best friend) falls under suspicion.

Then just as Jasmine, Ocean and Jacoby are preparing to head out to sea on a maverick mission, for Jasmine to reunite with her father, they’re stopped in their tracks by Captain Mayday Salt. Ocean is told she must stay at the Academy and that Mayday will join the voyage along with Cheng-Li, a voyage that takes them into extremely dangerous waters.

And there I’ll leave them and merely say that there’s intrigue aplenty and that Neo’s journey sees him receiving an awesome gift – a sword with as yet undisclosed powers which, in the right hands could change everything.

With a new journey awaiting, I can’t wait to see what unfolds in book four.