From Publishers Weekly
A shy boy finds love and ice cream when his spry granny goes off to fight her nemesis, a theatrical pirate out to steal a golden telephone. "As zippy?and often as alliterative?as its title," said PW. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-Saracen Hobday, a painfully shy and reclusive boy, lives with his grandmother on lonely Breakfast Island. He spends his days gardening and listening to the bossy woman tell about the great days when she was a detective inspector. When Granny is called back into service to catch the evil pirate Grudge-Gallows, Saracen stays on and fends for himself. Then one day, she sends him a rare tingleberry plant that changes his life. He discovers that to care for it properly, he must make contact with the world. From the moment he picks up the phone, Saracen finds excitement, fortune, and love in a series of madcap events that lead to his soaring self-esteem and the villain's capture. In this 20th-century pirate yarn, Mahy pokes gentle fun at the trappings and treasures of the modern world. Her nonstop, zany plot is filled with lively language punctuated by metaphors, puns, wordplay, and poetry. Staermose's pen-and-ink drawings match Mahy's tone and extend the humor and action of the text. While the piratical cover and undemanding format will attract beginning chapter-book readers, the story's language, pacing, and humor will also make it a terrific read-aloud.?Maggie McEwen, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, ME
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
