The unlikely adventures of Mabel Jones

Review by Booklist Review

Anyone for a postapocalyptic pirate adventure with gross bits? Spying young Mabel performing a DEED disgusting enough to blow a hole through time (i.e., she picks her nose and eats it), Idryss Ebenezer Split, peg-legged wolf captain of the pirate ship Feroshus Maggot, kidnaps her to join his all-animal crew. Said crew's initial horror and disgust that she is a GIRL! soon turns to admiration, as Mabel bravely walks the Greasy Pole of Certain Death and takes over a quest to gather up the broken parts of a key that will open a passage back to her own era. Along with adventurous typography and comically melodramatic line drawings, the narrative is festooned with bold feats, treacherous acts, and narrow squeaks as Mabel leads the way to a largely submerged London for climactic battles with foes living and dead. Mabbitt leaves the door slightly ajar for equally farcical sequels, and Mabel is just the resolute sort to push her way through.--Peters, John Copyright 2015 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Mabbitt's bustling debut combines a humorously intrusive narrator with lively illustrations by Collins (Dear Vampa). After Mabel Jones picks her nose and eats the "bogey" she extracts from it, she promptly finds herself an indentured pirate aboard an otherworldly ship filled with wolves, pigs, crocodiles, and a vindictive loris named Omynus Hussh. In the servitude of Idyrss Ebeneezer Split, the captain of the Feroshus Maggot, Mabel learns that the only way to get home is to help the captain collect the pieces of a key scattered among treacherous thieves and pirates before a comet disappears, sealing the porthole between realms for another hundred years. With time running out and suspicious Jarvis the Psychopomp to contend with, Mabel battles ghosts, counts, and a whale to return to the "hooman" world. Playful font variations and word placement amplify the already funny narrative, as do Collins's numerous illustrations (not all seen by PW), which emphasize Mabel's daredevil leanings and the budding relationship between Mabel and Omynus. First in a series, this comical novel should become a readaloud favorite. Ages 8-12. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-If you should ever decide to pick your nose, do not, under any circumstances, put what you find in there in your mouth. For if you perform this sacred deed, you might find yourself kidnapped from the safe Hooman world (by a surprisingly silent loris) and suddenly out to sea on a pirate ship filled with fearsome pirate animals such as goats, orangutans (formally a hair salon owner), pigs, and a foul-breathed wolf captain. If you did, you would be much like our brave hero Mabel Jones, who finds herself standing aboard the Feroshus Maggot as Captain Idyss Ebenezer Split prepares to have her walk the Greasy Pole of Certain Death. Mabel, clad only in her pajamas, saves herself from the torrent of the ocean by reading. Desperate to figure out the names of the pirates who stole pieces of a magical X from his father, Split has been waiting from someone to read them. The X will mark the spot of a magical treasure and, according to the pirates, open a portal back to the Hooman world so that Mabel might return home. So her ridiculous, dangerous, and vile adventures begin as she and her new cohorts track down the pieces. The heroine finds herself challenging a merciless bear to a milk drinking contest, breaking pirates out of prison, outwitting a vain duke, and breaking into a crypt in search of a deceased sheep. The ever-present narrator is obviously a pirate (and a very opinionated one at that) and adds a proper amount of exaggeration and attempted suspense to the tale telling. This style is entertaining, though better accomplished in Caroline Carlson's "The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates" series (HarperCollins). Black-and-white illustrations are sprinkled throughout. VERDICT A zany and twisted pirate tale that could be a good addition to collections for readers transitioning into longer chapter books.-Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Horn Book Review

Mabel picks her nose, eats it, and consequently finds herself a prisoner among pirates who like a good pun; unless she helps them find the X, she'll never get home to London. Absurdity prevails in this whimsical voyage light on substance and rife with bad spelling, which seems to be the point. Varying typefaces and Collins's playful line illustrations amplify the zaniness. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Bloodthirsty pirates abduct their latest crew member only to find to their horror that it'sa girl! Adventure on the high seas comes to a young girl in the dead of night. Kidnapped after performing the "Deed" (picking her nose and eating it) that binds its performer to the nefarious Capt. Idyrss Ebeneezer Split, Mabel Jones is impressed into a crew of animal brigands on a quest for a missing treasure. She has already earned the distrust and hatred of a slow loris by the name of Omynus Hussh ("quiet as a peanut and sneaky as a woodlouse in a jar of raisins"), who may strike adult readers as something rather like a cuddly Gollum. If she is to return home she must aid the quest, befriend the loris, and outsmart a captain who has outrageously evil plans in mind. On display are some true laugh-out-loud moments, as with a piratical love letter calling a sweetheart "the rancid whale fat that fuels the lantern of my heart" and signed by "Brutal Laars the Dolphin Strangler." Better still, it keeps moving at a hearty clip, keeping readers engaged throughout. A little bit of Monty Python, a touch of Capt. Jack Sparrow, and a whole bucketful of good-natured gross-out humor round out the adventure. This high-spirited, pirate-tastic romp is for kids who like their buccaneers a little on the wild side. (Adventure. 8-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Chapter 4 The List Yesterday morning Mabel Jones had eaten two bowls of cornflakes for breakfast. Then she'd had another one. Then she'd had a slice of toast with strawberry jam for dessert. She'd spread the jam all the way to the edge to make it easier to eat the crusts. Then she'd gone to school. This morning Mabel Jones had a feeling that she probably wouldn't be going to school. This morning she was sitting on a barrel in the cabin of a pirate ship, surrounded by a crew of excited animal pirates. It was actually surprisingly similar to being at school, except instead of a nice principal called Mr. Dobson, there was an evil wolf called Captain Idryss Ebenezer Split. The captain unfolded a piece of paper, and the excited chatter of the crew died down into an expectant silence as he placed it on the table in front of him. Split turned to Mabel. His muzzle was so close to her face she could see strings of wet drool between his half-open jaws. "On this page are written the names of the creatures who stand between me and my destiny. The treacherous bunch of scumbags who stole my rightful inheritance when they mutinied against their captain, my father." The crew tutted and shook their heads disapprovingly. Split pulled at the necklace that hung from his neck. Suspended from the rusting chain was a lump of dull black metal. "Aye! Each one of them has a piece like this, stolen from my poor, dearly departed father." Pelf leaned in close to Mabel. "It's part of an X!" he whispered. "A what?" she whispered back. "The letter X! And we all know what the letter X marks, don't we?" Mabel frowned. "Do we?" she asked, forgetting to whisper this time. The captain's lip curled back to reveal purple gums. "Somewhere, snuglet, somewhere far away, in the Haunted Seventh Sea, there is a spot. A spot that's missing its X. I alone knows that spot, and soon I will have all five pieces of the X!" "But why do you need the X if you already know the spot?" asked Mabel, wrinkling her nose. Split growled and his boggled eye boggled more than usual. "Because this particular X don't just mark the spot. It's also a key!" "A key?" "Aye, a key. A key forged in a time long since sunken into the greasy soup of history." Split pointed to a porthole. "See there! In the sky. The burning comet!" Mabel and the pirates followed his gaze. Sure enough, a little way above the horizon, a light glowed white in the sky. Split traced a path through the air with his cutlass. "The comet passes just once every hundred years. And while it shines in the sky, if the X is completed and placed correctly, it will unlock a treasure. The most amazing treasure known to beast or hooman." "Chests of precious jewels!" cried Pelf. "Piles of golden coins!" croaked Old Sawbones. "Priceless works of fine art!" squealed Milton Melton Mowbray. Captain Split smiled wickedly. "Aye, lads. Something like that . . ." Pelf removed a star chart from his fleece and unfolded it proudly. "According to my expert calculations, the comet should--" "I think you're holding the chart upside down," said Mabel Jones. Pelf turned the chart the other way around. "Aye. According to my calculations, the comet should cross the sky over the next fourteen days." Captain Split turned to his crew. "And so we have to gather every piece of the X from the names on this list and reach the spot before the fortnight is out!" He lovingly smoothed the tattered list with a paw. "It's been carried across six of the seven seas by bird and by boat--" Split smiled wickedly--"but it's never once been read." The captain's paw shot out and, grabbing Mabel Jones by the collar of her pajamas, lifted her clean off the ground. His single eye fixed on her as she dangled in the air. She could feel his claws digging into her skin. "And now we have a reader!" Split let go of Mabel and she fell to the floor. "Me?" "You," he snapped. "So read it!" Mabel picked up the list and studied it closely. It was going to be difficult to read with the whole crew watching, especially as the words were faded and all joined up. Taking a deep breath, Mabel Jones began to read: "Macaroni." The captain looked at the crew. "Does anyone know this varmint that goes by the name MacGroany?" The crew shook their heads. The captain banged his fist against the table. "When I find that treacherous creature MacGroany, I'll rip his head off and throw it to the seagulls!" The crew cheered! "Who's next on the list, Mabel?" asked Pelf the goat. Mabel continued to read: "Cheddar cheese." The crew looked at each other again, shaking their heads. He wasn't a pirate they were familiar with either. "I'll tie him to a carnivorous squid!" cried the captain, snapping a chair in half. Mabel continued reading the list: "Mustard." "So ferocious he's known by a single name!" gasped Old Sawbones. "I'll stuff him like a mackerel," whispered the captain, curling his lip to reveal his razor-sharp teeth. The crew winced. Mabel looked at the captain politely. "Shall I finish?" The last item was written in a different handwriting. "Lemon juice," read Mabel. "Lemon Juice?" The crew looked at one another in confusion. Finally Pelf spoke. "It's just a shopping list, isn't it?" "Yes, I think so." Mabel smiled apologetically at the crew. The captain's single eye boggled with rage. Throwing back his head, he howled the loudest howl ever heard by man or beast. He drew his cutlass and swung it angrily through the air, twisting it into the heart of an imaginary enemy. Then he turned to point it at Mabel. "Then I guess that makes you pretty useless, snuglet!" Omynus Hussh appeared from the shadows. "Slice her open, Captain! She's made you look a fool!" But Mabel wasn't even listening. She was thinking. Something wasn't quite right . . . Somewhere deep inside her head a thought was waking up and scratching itself. Why is the last item written by a different hand? Then that thought rudely poked a new thought awake with a bony finger. And why would you need lemon juice in what is obviously a recipe for macaroni and cheese? Lemon juice? Lemon juice . . . Lemon. Juice. LEMON JUICE! Spinning away from the captain's sword, Mabel Jones held the list above a candle. "Go on, burns it!" scoffed Omynus Hussh. "It's as worthless as a girl on a pirate ship." "I'm not burning it. Just look!" cried Mabel. The crew gasped as they looked at the list. Below the recipe for bangers and mash with gravy, new words were forming--and this time they were names. "Invisible ink!" declared Mabel proudly. "The heat from the flame turns the invisible words written in lemon juice brown!" The crew burst into applause. "The girl's a marvel!" "A brainbox!" "Who'd have thought it?!" Mabel placed the list on the table and the crew gathered around as she began to read. "The Mutineers of the Flying Slug: Bartok the Brute." Now wait a second while I find my Who's Who of Pirates sticker album. Yes, it is complete, apart from a sticker of "Elusive" Jack Carrot, the Rabbit Assassin. No one has ever managed to collect that sticker. (If you find it, please send it to the address in the back of this book. I can swap Eric the Tuneless Canary and "Strangling" Hans Van Snood, the Murderous Gerbil of Ghent for it.) Ah, here he is. Page 7. Bartok the Brute AKA the Beast of the Baltic Achievements of note: 1) The sinking of a submarine by punching it in the hull. 2) The sinking of an ironclad by punching it in the hull. 3) The sinking of a tramp steamer by . . . Well, you get the picture. Mabel continues: "Ishmael H. Toucan." Found him! Under the subsection "Former Pirates," for his fortune was made as a whaler of the Cold Gray Sea. He shares his entry with his brother, Abel, and holds records for both harpooning and whale butchery. "The passenger, Count Anselmo Klack." No entry for the Count. I guess he is not a real pirate. He is a count, though, which is a mark of badness, if ever I saw one. "Old Hoss." Ah, Old Hoss the sheep! I know him well. And so does Captain Split, for Old Hoss carved the captain's bone leg. Here's his sticker in the "Smuggling and Thievery" section! A dastardly sheep who would steal from his own mother if he hadn't already pushed her off a cliff. The captain flashed a wicked fanged grin and addressed the happy crew. "All hands on deck, boys! Today we sail and tomorrow . . . Tomorrow we steal!" Mabel looked up. "So can I go home now, please?" Split laughed a nasty laugh. "There ain't no way home for you, snuglet. When a hooman child commits the Deed, it opens a porthole between your world and ours, so we pirates can go through and bag "em. But once we've snatched the wriggling snuglet and come back through the porthole, then it closes behind us." Mabel gulped. "You mean I'm trapped here . . . forever?" Split leaned in close to her, his hot wolf breath stinking up all her face holes at once.­ "Well, now you mention it, there is one way back. Remember how I told you the X is a key?" Mabel nodded. "Well, one of the things that key can open is a porthole back to the hooman world. So here's the deal: if you help us find them missing bits of X, then maybe, when I've got my treasure, I'll open a porthole that will take you back home." Split grinned an evil grin. "Meantime fear not, snuglet . . . I'll look after you . . ." Excerpted from The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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