Pirate Pizzazz

Deadweather and Sunrise: The Chronicles of Egg by Geoff Rodkey

* Book received from the publisher for review

 4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This book is full of piratey goodness.  It has murder, mayhem, and mystery which makes for an intense yet funny read.  

I just love the tone of this book, there is a real wry sense of humor throughout.  It is a middle grade book but it can definitely be accessible/enjoyable to anyone.  Things always look a bit grim for Egg since his family doesn’t really seem to like him much, he has an antagonistic relationship with his siblings and father.  He’s kind of the scapegoat of the family.  His family does treat him horrible but some of their interactions are pretty darn funny too.  Things change forever though when his dad starts acting weird and then wants to take them all on an unexpected trip to Sunrise Island.  

All the islands in this book seem like real characters too.  Deadweather, Egg’s home, is not the most picturesque place and happens to be full of pirates.  His father runs an ugly fruit plantation and is working all the time.  Everything on the island is kind of rotten and there’s an actual volcano that nobody has bothered to name.  Though the weather is uncomfortable and his family isn’t very loving, this is still Egg’s home and he doesn’t plan to give that up easily.

Sunrise seems like a utopia compared to Egg’s home but you do get the feeling that everything might not be as great as it seems.  At first Egg forgets all his troubles and just goes along for the ride.  Then things get rather complicated.  

Egg and Millicent are a very intriguing pair.  She is by far the outspoken alpha in their friendship.  Millicent is a fierce person and doesn’t take guff from anyone.  She loves to talk, is quick witted, and has some interesting views on the world.

The pirates are the other stars of this novel.  They are indeed a cast of colorful characters.  The house pirate Quint and Burn Healy are my favorite pirates of the lot.  They show the wide spectrum of pirates in the story from the one’s that are on Egg’s sides all the way to the scariest pirates that he meets.  

Egg goes on a crazy journey, makes some friends, and really grows as the book progresses.  I love the solution at the end and can’t wait to see what happens on Egg’s next adventure.