WICKED'S WAY

From the author of the highly successful Tashi series comes a fabulous high-seas pirate adventure for 8-12 year olds.

Will could walk a tightrope above the treetops, and juggle bananas as he went. ‘One day you’ll be the star of a circus,’ his mother told him. ‘But until then, you must be a secret.’ For each year the Captain and his pirates came to the islands to steal young boys for their crew. And if that happened to you, well, you may as well kiss your life goodbye. But when Will’s mother disappears, Will is kidnapped and taken aboard. He’s made to run up the rat-lines to the look-out to watch for other pirate ships. He plots an escape but is betrayed by his accomplice and the Captain makes him suffer. Kept safely stored in Will’s heart is a Treasure of a girl, a crazy truth-telling parrot, and the advice of his mother when he’d walked the rope: ‘Check your balance, keep putting one foot in front of the other and your eyes on the prize.’ But will this be enough to survive the perils at sea? And will a newcomer aboard – that infuriatingly polite boy called Horrendo – finally tip the balance? A high-seas pirate adventure about scoundrels and blaggards, devilish treachery, and dancing the tightrope above the low points of life. Anna Fienberg is best known for her bestselling Tashi series (sold in 23 countries and with a TV series now showing), but she is also the author of many popular and award-winning books for children of all ages. Anna began writing stories when she was only eight years old. She says: ‘I’ve always had a passion for words. I used to collect them, like some people collect stamps. Certain words gave me a special, billionaire feeling, and when uttered, seemed to have a magical effect.’