“The young under-librarian awoke drenched in sweat.”

From Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell’s The Edge Chronicles: The Last of the Sky Pirates.

Living beneath Undertown as an under-librarian in the Librarians Academic, young Rook Barkwater spends most of his time dreaming of becoming a Librarian Knight, like his friend, Felix, has been preparing to do for years. On the day of the Announcement Ceremony, Rook and Felix are surprised at the news that Rook was chosen to be apprentice Librarian Knight with Magda and Stob. Rook and the others begin the long and dangerous journey to the Free Glades, but through the many dangers on the trip, Rook’s wit and courage helps deliver them safely. In the Free Glades, Rook befriends Xanth, unaware that his new friend is actually a Guardian of Night, gathering information for the rest of his wicked group. Xanth’s dark trickery leads to trouble for Rook and his allies, but when Rook risks his life to save others, Xanth confesses and flees. For his information voyage, Rook seeks to study Banderbears, but he is unable to make any connection until he finds a young female Banderbear, Wumera, and is able to form a friendship with her. As he learns about Banderbears and their history, he realizes that he now shares a special honor that has only been held before by the Sky Pirate Twig, and they’ll have to work together to stop the approaching evil.

This fantastical adventure series is built of several character-following trilogies put together to create a complete world. The illustrations scattered throughout the book highlight characters and places that are definitely odd, but it also seamlessly creates the foundation for the highly imaginative world. As the first book in the Rook Trilogy, The Last of the Sky Pirates creates a captivating story that will instantly pull readers into the action-packed fantasy world of The Edge Chronicles.