Christopher has been kidnapped! If that's not bad enough, the nasty Captain Redblade also managed to make off with a beautiful young lady and her father too. It's up to Christopher to find a way out of his predicament and save them from danger. It's high tide and time to set sail on an amazing adventure of a life time. Arrgh! by Stacey R. Campbell is without a doubt my favorite Middle Grade book that I've read this year! I admit, I have a soft spot for all things piratical, but I think I would have loved this story even if it wasn't about my favorite kinds of swashbuckling scallywags.
The illustrations, provided by the talented M.S. Corley, really helped to set the tone for adventure, and although they weren't obvious, I enjoyed the illustrations very much. Maps are always fun for kids because they get a visual sense of what the book is about. Another thing that I appreciated was the glossary of terms. While once common, these terms are far from ordinary to today's youth so if you expect them to know "aft" and "Halyard" you better provide! Campbell did just that, and in doing so improved the seafaring vocabulary of both children and adults (myself included!)
Arggh! is an awesome book. It's going to make kids of all ages long for the salty seas and the adventurous life of piratedom. I will be gifting copies of this to my niece and nephew shortly and recommend it to anyone with kids, or even adults who want to dive into some cute and fun Middle Grade fiction.