Episode 68 - Shiver Me Timbers! (Billy and the Pirates and Attack of the Sea Dogs)

Avast, me hearties, it's a pirate episode! We kick off with the lovely Billy and the Pirates, written and illustrated by Nadia Shireen. Billy and Fatcat were sailing around in the Jolly Badger when they found a message in a bottle. There's a key, and a map, and a note that says "please return to Kevin". Our brave heroes are just about to take on this quest when they're captured by Captain Howl and his pirate crew. There are mermaids and sharks, a kraken and a mutiny. Everything you could want from a pirate story, up to and including being marooned on a desert island. In this case, the island is just a kind of cosmic naughty step for thinking about what you've done.

Our chapter book is the fourth in MG Leonard's Time Keys series: Attack of the Sea Dogs. Sim, Jeopardy and Nelson are off on an adventure to Tudor London! Or at least, that's where they think they're going. Uncle Emmett has different ideas and takes them to Plymouth and onto Francis Drake's ship instead, to get a look at the sacking of Cadiz. Tall ships! A suspected Dutch assassin! A cameo from a young Will Shakespeare! It's a story about family and loyalty, pirates and renegade keys. This is the biggest, broadest adventure of the series so far, the world is opening up, the team is growing, and the mysteries are getting deeper. Hop on board, and don't forget your doublet.

You can hear our previous episodes about the Time Keys series here and here.

We also mentioned Claire Linney's The Time Tub Travellers and the Silk Thief. The episode about that book is here.

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