Well my first read of 2022 was an absolute belter! Get ready to step aboard the Anthos and set sail on a thrilling adventure…

Nico Cloud desperately wants to be an explorer, but her parents think adventures aren’t for girls. Fate intervenes when Nico chases a kitten on board a ship . . . and then the ship sails out to sea!

NICO IS AN ACCIDENTAL STOWAWAY.

Lucky for her, the ship belongs to a famous scientist who is on a quest for new discoveries. But clouds are brewing overhead and cunning pirates are determined to wreck the crew’s mission. Can Nico steer the ship to victory and prove her parents wrong?

AN EPIC ADVENTURE STORY ABOUT THE POWER OF SCIENCE AND LEGENDS.

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I love that our main character Nico has big plans to be a scientist and explore the world like her (never spoken about) aunt. At the time to story is set, this is very much against social norms and is something I’m sure will promote much discussion amongst today’s budding female scientists. Nico’s love of seeds and fossils would marry very nicely with a topic about Mary Anning.

Readers are almost immediately whisked away from the bustle of the docks and the oppression of Nico’s home to life on the ocean aboard the Anthos – which is a marked contrast to what Nico’s used to. She quickly adapts, despite some moments of self-doubt, and finds herself accepted as part of the crew.

But all is not plain sailing – storms, pirates, and kidnappings will keep readers on the edge of their seats as Nico and her newfound friends race to find the fossilised seeds of the fabled Tree of Life.

A great first entry onto my 2022 Reading Log and one that I would recommend for readers aged 9+

Library Girl.

*Many thanks to Orion Children’s Books for sending me this title to review*