Thursday, December 9, 2010

The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier (2010)

Plot Summary:  Walker Bean has listened to his grandfather tell him stories about legends of the high seas his whole life.  He always figured they were just that-stories.  But when his grandfather takes ill and tells Walker that the only way for him to live is if Walker stows away on his father's ship, Walker thinks his grandfather is dizzy with fever.  Walker's father has possession of a skull that has terrible powers and must be returned to its rightful place. 

Only when the skull is returned to the merwitch sisters will Walker's grandfather gain his health back.  He explains to Walker what needs to be done and give him a few tools to aid him along the way that at first glance seem useless.  Walker meets Shiv, who helps him to stowaway on a pirate ship when the pirates steal the skull from Walker's dad.  What comes next is an adventure on the high seas involving pirates, curses, deadly merwitches, and a mysterious "doctor."  Will Walker return the skull in time?  What will happen to those that glance at the skull?  Walker is on the adventure of his life.

Format:  Graphic Novel

Genre:  Adventure/Science Fiction

Subjects/Themes:  Curses, legends, pirates, witches

Reviews:  Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, *Starred Review* in Booklist

Age Group:  Grades 4-7

High Interest Annotation:  Large pages with extremely detailed pictures help to tell this adventurous story of curses while on the high seas.  Reluctant readers will grab this after just a glance at its pages.

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