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Liz Kessler's Emily Windsnap and the Pirate Prince is a mermaid adventure for 10 year olds in which a luxury cruise home turns into a pirate raid.
Emily grows a tail whenever she gets in the water. After a VERY eventful holiday, she has to choose how to travel home. She could ride in Neptune's golden chariot with her dad and her best friend Shona. Or she could take a five-star cruise with her mum and her boyfriend, Aaron.
She picks the ship, mostly so her mum won't be lonely. Which is sweet of her! And the ship is amazing. There's a theme park on the top deck, a whirlpool bath in her room and toilet paper with crossword puzzles on it.
The first evening is all puddings and dancing. Aaron is hopeless at the chicken dance (and even worse at the waltz). A smooth young man called Noah charms his way onto their table, dances with Emily's mum and keeps admiring the necklace her dad has just given her.
Then there's Sam, a scruffy boy at the buffet who says his dad is the captain. Except the captain doesn't have any children.
Halfway through the party the band goes silent. A ship with a skull and crossbones appears outside the windows, and a man with a twirly moustache takes the stage to announce that he's the pirate king. Let's just say Noah isn't really in the diamond business.
By the time the passengers are herded back to their cabins, Aaron has vanished. Emily overhears enough to know the pirates have taken him, so she gives her guard the slip and creeps back to find him. From there she ends up sailing with pirates herself, solving riddles in a race for a legendary treasure.
Emily tells it all herself and she's lovely company. One minute she's rolling her eyes at Noah flirting with her mum. The next she's wondering whether she should break up with Aaron, which leads to a wobbly little chat on the dance floor. Any reader who likes a bit of romance with their adventure will be very happy.
It's the eighth Emily Windsnap book, and it carries on from where her last adventure ended. If your reader hasn't met Emily yet, The Tail of Emily Windsnap is the place to start.
If it's the pirates they love, try The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones. Mabel is bundled into a sack in the middle of the night and wakes up on a ship crewed by animal pirates. It's a LOT sillier (and grosser) than this, but it's every bit as much fun at sea.
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