Synopses & Reviews
Lemony Snicket meets Pirates of the Caribbean, with a sprinkling of Tom Sawyer for good measure.”Rick Riordan, bestselling author After a narrow escape from Deadweather Island, Egg and his slightly deranged partner Guts head for the remote New Lands. Theyre in search of the lost Okalu tribe, who hold the key to the mysterious treasure map that Egg can't decipher. But the ruthless Roger Pembroke is hard on Egg's trail, and the New Lands are full of new enemiesagainst which our heroes' only weapons are their brains, their courage...and the two dozen swear words Guts just memorized in the local tongue. They're going to need help. But who can they trust? Is Kira, the beautiful and heavily armed Okalu refugee, their ally
or their enemy? Is Pembroke's daughter Millicent on Egg's side
or her father's? Why on earth is the notorious pirate Burn Healy being so nice to them? And the biggest question of all: what shocking secret is Egg about to discover in the shadow of an ancient Okalu temple?
Review
Praise for DEADWEATHER and SUNRISE (Book One in the Chronicles of Egg series):
Amazon Best Books of the Year 2012
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2012
“This is a rip-roaring debut… I highly recommend you grab a copy… The best way I can describe it is Lemony Snicket meets Pirates of the Caribbean, with a sprinkling of Tom Sawyer for good measure.”
—RICK RIORDAN, New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson series.
STARRED REVIEW FROM BCCB:
“. . . a high-seas adventure in the grandest tradition, featuring epic maritime battles, elusive hidden treasures, tender romance, and of course, pirates—lots and lots of pirates. The fast-paced swashbuckling will surely satisfy fans of adventure, but it's really Egg's narration that makes this pirate story rise above its counterparts. Wittily observant and self-deprecating, Egg relays the series of absurd events that precede his escape from Deadweather with a fair amount of humor, while his decision to avenge the deaths of his family—despite their mistreatment of him—lends the tale a certain nobility.”
FROM THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE:
“What a wonderful hybrid plot: islands, buried treasure, a lad avenging violence against his family, sea voyages, tourist cruises, real pirates, fake pirates for the tourist trade, and leftover pirates, too maimed for sea work. . . . Egg's flat, fatalistic, practical and hilarious narrative tone keeps this wild profusion of plot elements (and island hopping) in balance in this, Book 1, of "The Chronicles of Egg," making a reader look forward to more.”
FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS:
“Self-deprecating and funny, Eggs first-person account is compelling, and the dialogue and vivid setting, as well as the full cast of quirky characters, make it easy to get lost in this adventure.”
FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:
“In this rousing debut novel . . . Eggs struggle to stay alive takes him from one death-defying scenario to the next with breakneck speed … the overall effect is more comedic than terrifying, as Rodkey combines humor and adventure.”
FROM BOOKLIST:
“[O]ur heros first-person sassiness, smarts, and romantic frustration . . . are absolutely entertaining. Along with some good and gory descriptions (after all, pirates really arent that nice), this introduction to the Chronicles of Egg series is pure fun.”
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Praise for NEW LANDS (Book Two in the Chronicles of Egg series):
FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS:
“Eggs narration, fresh and funny as ever, keeps readers engaged with the increasingly complicated plot. Occasionally gruesome, often funny and full of suspense, this one is sure to win Egg some new fans.”
FROM BCCB:
“The plot follows a classic adventure arc but remains nonetheless surprising: the characters never quite behave in expected ways, making unpredictable choices . . . Even though the world is fictional, the portrayal of the Native tribes and their culture and interactions with Egg and Pembroke may make for some interesting comparisons to Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island.”
BLUE SEA BURNING (Book Three in the Chronicles of Egg series) coming in 2014!
Review
Raves for
New Lands
"The plot follows a classic adventure arc but remains nonetheless surprising: the characters never quite behave in expected ways . . . Even though the world is fictional, the portrayal of the Native tribes and their culture and interactions with Egg and Pembroke may make for some interesting comparisons to Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island. Fans of Egg will be glad for the sequel and anxious for the concluding installment."--BCCB
"The second installment of the Chronicles of Egg delivers more danger, diabolical plots and dastardly villains than the first, and thats saying a lot . . . Eggs narration, fresh and funny as ever, keeps readers engaged with the increasingly complicated plot. Occasionally gruesome, often funny and full of suspense, this one is sure to win Egg some new fans."--Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
A stunning middle-grade debut--full of heart, humor, and nonstop action
It's tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody's trying to kill you.
Not that Egg's life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.
But when Egg's father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect.
Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff.
Suddenly, Egg's running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he's been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy.
Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.
About the Author
Geoff Rodkey grew up in Freeport, Illinois, a place with no ugly fruit plantations, volcanoes, or gainfully employed pirates, although someone did briefly want to kill him when he was a teenager. He currently lives with his family on an island just off the coast of North America. He has not been to sea since an ill-fated kite fishing expedition in the Florida Keys encountered such choppy waters that his nine-year-old son threw up on his four-year-old son's head while the author was preoccupied with trying to help his seven-year-old son barf over the gunwale. This is his first book.