THE DAGGER X

Ahoy, mateys! Be ye brave, clever, able to fight crocodiles and willing to eat turtle cooked over an open fire? Then leap into the drink of the next installment of the Dagger Chronicles, if ye dare.

Christopher Quick, called Kitto, has wished all his life he hadn’t been born with a club foot, but when he loses it to the teeth of a shark while saving his friend Van from drowning, he has to adjust to a brand new peg leg. It doesn’t help that he and four others are stranded on an island where the landscape is rough. When a pirate crew lands on the island as well, things get heated, but Kitto finds a solution in the form of a common enemy and ties to the past that are buried deeper than buried treasure. With detailed prose, elementary school teacher Eames relays his characters’ fast-paced adventures with just the right blend of history and excitement. His greatest talent lies in writing action sequences in a way that maintains momentum and delivers information, all with an eye toward historical accuracy. One caveat: It’s best to start with the first book in the series; this story is teeming with complex characters better understood through an extended relationship.

Smart, nuanced adventure that asks big questions.