Magic Marks the Spot

Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes and tie a knot faster than a fleet of naval sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword. But when it comes to piracy, her admiral father and the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates have put their foot down. There are simply no girls allowed.

Girls instead belong at Miss Pimm’s Finishing School for Delicate Ladies, learning how to faint, waltz, and curtsey. But Hilary and her beloved friend, the gargoyle, have no use for such frivolous lessons. To escape a life of petticoats (in Hilary’s case) and politeness, Hilary and the gargoyle set out in search of adventure that may or may not involve a map without an “X,” a magical treasure that likely doesn’t exist, a rogue governess who insists on propriety, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous — and unexpected — villain on the High Seas.

Written with uproarious wit and an inviting storyteller tone, the first book in Caroline Carlson’s quirky seafaring series is a piratical tale like no other!