AVALINA JONES

A young girl, the descendant of a famous pirate, joins a magic-filled adventure at sea in this launch of a prospective middle-grade series.

Avalina Jones has only hazy memories of her parents, who left her at a Louisiana orphanage six years ago. It turns out they were keeping their daughter, now 10, a secret for her own safety. A scoundrel named Del Maligno long ago vowed revenge against Davy Jones and has since targeted all his heirs. Avalina is the lone survivor. As per her late mother’s wishes, Avalina boards the Aquatiery, one of four schoolships for pirate heirs. The girl and her new friends study, and, like full-fledged pirates, they scrutinize maps and hunt for treasure. Avalina already has enough to worry about; legend says the evil Del Maligno can control the weather. There’s also a chance she’s got Davy Jones’ “Curse of Bad Luck.” Booting Avalina off the ship is evidently someone’s priority, and she soon becomes the No.1 suspect for an onboard murder. Adams’ pirate-centric story teems with entertaining bits of magic. If the students want to eat, they must first catch surprisingly mobile “enchanted food” (even salads). The author nevertheless zeroes in on winsome Avalina and her equally appealing fellow heirs. The narrative lingers on colorful descriptions of the ship’s decks (“rickety, crooked signs” in “sloppy white lettering”) as well as the surrounding ocean’s “pale blue water.” An unknown antagonist on the Aquatiery incites mystery (if Avalina isn’t the killer, then someone else surely is). While the ending satisfies, Adams leaves plenty to explore further in sequels, like Avalina’s ability to breathe underwater, which she keeps mum about.

A well-crafted, supernatural pirate tale with a capable, young hero.