Deadweather and Sunrise

In this rousing debut novel, first in the Chronicles of Egg trilogy, screenwriter Rodkey turns his attention to the high seas. Thirteen-year-old Egbert (Egg) lives on none-too-pleasant Deadweather Island—home to horrible weather, a volcano, and a great many pirates—with his distant father and abusive siblings, helping maintain their fruit plantation. When his entire family vanishes in a mysterious ballooning accident, Egg is taken in by a wealthy merchant, Pembroke, who then tries to kill him as well. Egg’s struggle to stay alive takes him from one death-defying scenario to the next with breakneck speed, as he tries to figure out why anyone wants him dead. Aiding him are Pembroke’s beautiful daughter and a vicious, one-handed ex-pirate. Given that it’s a pirate yarn, the book has its share of gruesome moments (“Dead pirates lay all around, the deck red and slick with their guts”), but the overall effect is more comedic than terrifying, as Rodkey combines humor and adventure in a story full of cruise ships, wild pigs, treasure maps, and constant peril. Ages 8–up. Agent: Josh Getzler, HSG Agency. (May)