{"product_id":"pirate-academy-new-kid-on-deck-isbn-9798217050420","title":"Pirate Academy: New Kid on Deck","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom Justin Somper, award-winning author of the Vampirates series, comes a new swashbuckling fantasy adventure series.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWelcome to Pirate Academy! The year is 2507 and a new dawn of piracy has begun. Jacoby Blunt and Jasmine Peacock are students at the elite Pirate Academy. But this is no ordinary pirate school: lessons range from Knots Class and Sailing to Combat Workshop. The teachers are all pirate legends, and the pressure is \u003ci\u003ealways\u003c\/i\u003e on.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen a mysterious new kid arrives with a terrible secret, Jacoby and Jasmine's training is put to the test. Suddenly the dangers are no longer simply out on the oceans but right here, amongst them. In the face of real peril, Jacoby, Jasmine, and the students of Barracuda class must battle against a ruthless and seemingly unstoppable new enemy—before time runs out and all their lives are at stake.\"An action-packed series opener.\"—\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"All the rip-roaring adventure you would expect from a Justin Somper book.\"—Eoin Colfer, bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A gloriously action-packed adventure, full of characters you really care about.\"—Cressida Cowell, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eHow To Train Your Dragon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An exciting blend of mysterious intrigue, hearty chuckles, and swashbuckling adventure—with a futuristic twist. Don't miss the boat on this one!\"—Ben Costa, co-author of the \u003ci\u003eDungeoneer Adventures \u003c\/i\u003eseries\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJustin Somper\u003c\/b\u003e is the award-winning author of ten books for middle-grade and teen readers, including the Vampirates series, which has been published in thirty-five countries and twenty-five languages, as well as \u003ci\u003eAllies \u0026amp; Assassins \u003c\/i\u003eand its sequel, \u003ci\u003eA Conspiracy of Princes. \u003c\/i\u003eA Brit by birth, Justin relocated to Perth, Western Australia, with his Aussie husband, PJ, in 2022. Here, Justin has been writing the Pirate Academy adventures—in between refreshing dips in the Indian Ocean, inspiring visits to lighthouses, and long-overdue sailing lessons. Learn more at justinsomper.com.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTeo Skaffa\u003c\/b\u003e has lived in many places but currently lives in an abandoned school building in the outskirts of the city of Groningen in the north of the Netherlands. Besides making art, he likes the color pink, synthesizers, and making music with outdated technology under the name A Ghost in the Woods. He does NOT like room-temperature watermelon. He likes drawing creepy-cute atmospheric scenes and characters, and is grateful that he’s able to make a living by drawing, especially since he’s not particularly good at anything else.Jasmine Peacock sat on a bench, beneath a tall Flame Tree, at the top of Swashbuckle Hill.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSwashbuckle Hill was the highest point of Pirate Academy’s lush sweep of gardens. According to school legend, the hill had been given its name by the first students to step foot inside Pirate Academy, thirteen years ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was strange to think that the Academy was only thirteen years old. \u003ci\u003eOnly two years older than me,\u003c\/i\u003e Jasmine thought. She had arrived here when she was seven years old. Pirate Academy was so much more than her school—­it was her second home. She knew that the feeling was shared by every one of her classmates. There were just fifteen students in each year, drawn from the most famous and successful pirate families. It was tough to get a place here, and you had to work hard to keep it. Jasmine felt proud to be an Academy student.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe young students of Barracuda Class were bathed in golden light from the rays of the setting sun. All eyes were locked on the harbor below, where flaming torches had been lit to mark the entrance to the school. Tonight was a very special night for Barracuda Class. It was Captains’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEvening, which began with all of their parents sailing their ships to Skullhead Rock, ten nautical miles away, then racing against each other to the finish at the Academy harbor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Feeling confident?” came a familiar voice at Jasmine’s ear. “The Peacocks always come in first, right?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJasmine smiled as her friend Jacoby Blunt sat down beside her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We’ll see,” she said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We shall indeed!” Jacoby’s legs drummed excitedly on the ground. He turned away from Jasmine to beckon over his roommate. “Wing! \u003ci\u003eWing!\u003c\/i\u003e Come over here! It’s starting!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWing waved and jogged over to join his friends.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What’s the emergency, Blunt?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Take a look yourself,” Jacoby answered. “I think you’re about to win!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWing’s eyes zeroed in on the harbor as the first ship sailed into view. It was a very fine ship with ten sails, its main mast over fifty feet tall. And, of course, a skull-­and-­crossbones flag flew high on top, flapping in the evening breeze.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Go, Mum!” Wing cried, fist-­pumping the air. A chorus of groans came from his classmates.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Bad luck, Jasmine!” Jacoby said. “It’s a Moon victory tonight.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJasmine shrugged. She was pleased for Wing. She saw how proudly he watched the \u003ci\u003eEnigma\u003c\/i\u003e, the glorious ship captained by Raven Moon, slide into dock.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I told Dad it was our turn to win!” moaned Cosmo. His family ran one of the most powerful pirate fleets in the Pacific.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Not this time!” Ocean’s voice was as icy as her pale blue eyes. Her family already dominated the Arctic and had big plans for future growth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJacoby’s attention had moved on. “Oh my days!” he exclaimed, jumping up and down. “It looks like Wing’s getting \u003ci\u003esecond place\u003c\/i\u003e too!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Of course he is.” Ocean marched over to Wing’s side, nudging her friend fondly. “They always work so well together. Wing, you’re so lucky having two mothers!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWing smiled. “You might not say that if you spent time on one of our ships!” Despite his words, he swelled with pride as he watched the \u003ci\u003eConundrum\u003c\/i\u003e, captained by Cressida Moon, sweep smoothly into harbor. Few pirates could dock a one-­hundred-­and-­fifty-­foot pirate ship with such ease and flair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Go, Mama!” Wing fist-­pumped the air again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Off you go, then,” Jacoby said, pushing him forward. It was part of the tradition to race down to meet your parents’ ship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You’re so bossy!” Wing said, running off.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Yes!” Jasmine called after him. “A hundred percent bossy.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Stop ganging up on me,” Jacoby cried. “By the way, Jasmine, you must be a little crushed? Unusual for the Peacocks not to take first or second place.” Before she could even answer, he had turned to Cosmo. “What about you? Reckon your lot might come in third?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCosmo shrugged. “It’s hard to get excited about \u003ci\u003ethird\u003c\/i\u003e place.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOcean rolled her eyes. “You \u003ci\u003ewould\u003c\/i\u003e say that!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Does it really matter?” Jasmine said, trying to break up the argument.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Of course it matters!” Cosmo insisted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It’s just a silly competition,” Jasmine went on. “Isn’t life here at Pirate Academy tough enough, without them thinking up new ways for us to beat each other?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Good point, roomie.” Ocean nodded.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJacoby shook his head. “That’s a bit rich, Jasmine,” he said. “Considering you always need to be the best at everything.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Not \u003ci\u003ealways\u003c\/i\u003e,” Jasmine replied. “Not everything.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Life’s a competition,” Cosmo announced grandly. “There’s only so much ocean to go around.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOcean turned to raise an eyebrow in his direction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I’m not talking about \u003ci\u003eyou\u003c\/i\u003e,” Cosmo said. “I’m talking about \u003ci\u003ethat\u003c\/i\u003e.” He pointed out, past the harbor, to the deep, churning waters that lay beyond.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor a moment, they were all silent as they gazed out at the inky sea. Jasmine found herself trembling and wondered if the others felt it too. The sea could seem so perfectly calm one moment, then suddenly show its wild power to you the next. All their families had built their fame and fortunes out on the oceans. In just a few years’ time, she and her friends would follow, putting to the test every lesson they had learned at Pirate Academy. You might fool yourself into thinking you could command the ocean, but it would be a dangerous mistake to make.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs she watched the rough waves, Jasmine’s thoughts returned to her parents and their ship, the \u003ci\u003eBlue Marlin\u003c\/i\u003e. Jacoby was right. The Peacocks \u003ci\u003edid\u003c\/i\u003e usually arrive first. What had happened to delay them tonight?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe glanced over at Leif. She envied him the fact that his mum, Captain Larsen, was one of the teachers here at the Academy. Although Leif had joined the others up on the hill to watch, he didn’t need to wait for his family’s ship to arrive. He already knew where his mum was. He knew that she was safe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I don’t believe it!” Cosmo groaned, one hand on his head, the other pointing down to the harbor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Blimey! Neither do I!” Jacoby exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear as his parents’ ship the \u003ci\u003eNorth Star\u003c\/i\u003e sailed into view, its ten sails and rigging shining like bronze in the setting sun.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Off you go, then,” Cosmo sighed, giving Jacoby a shove.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJasmine watched enviously as Jacoby jogged downhill to meet his dad. She was starting to wonder if something \u003ci\u003ehad\u003c\/i\u003e gone seriously wrong aboard the \u003ci\u003eBlue Marlin\u003c\/i\u003e. She had a queasy feeling in her gut.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe others were already busily arguing over whose ship would arrive next. Walking away from them, she found another tall Flame Tree to lean her back against. She closed her eyes and took some breaths of the sweet air, trying to calm herself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOpening her eyes after a few moments, Jasmine saw Ocean and Cosmo now racing down the hill to meet their families. It seemed that their ships had arrived within a whisper of each other.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJasmine shook her head. The sky was darker now. It was one thing for the \u003ci\u003eBlue Marlin\u003c\/i\u003e not to have been the first ship to arrive—­or even the second or the third. But tonight, it had been beaten into dock by five other ships \u003ci\u003ealready\u003c\/i\u003e. Jasmine tried to tell herself that there was no need to fret. The night air was still warm. So why was she unable to stop shivering?","brand":"Penguin Workshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233476882661,"sku":"NP9798217050420","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9798217050420.jpg?v=1767734807","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/pirate-academy-new-kid-on-deck-isbn-9798217050420","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}