Victricia Malicia

Book excerpt: Victricia Malicia Calamity Barrett may have been born on her family's pirate ship, but this mild-mannered young lady is sick of the sea: she'd much rather be ashore with her nose permanently buried in a book. But when Scylla the Serpent—the scourge of the sea—appears, quick-thinking Vic saves the ship by thunking the serpent on the head with her trunk full of books. For her bravery she is rewarded with the thing she wants most: a home on a little island. She opens a bookstore, and Landlubber Books becomes the pirates' favorite port in a storm. As Carrie Clickard's nimble, jaunty rhymes roll off the tongue like waves onto shore, children will delight in Victricia's adventures while parents will relate to her family's attempts to understand their unusual daughter. Victricia may not be a typical pirate hero, but she is the captain of her own destiny in this rollicking tale of self-determination, sticking to your dreams, and the joy of reading.