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Author & Illustrators

Justin Somper Books

The year is 2507. The oceans have risen. A new dawn of piracy has begun. This exciting and fast-paced book is the first in the Pirate Academy series from Justin Somper, with illustrations from Teo Skaffa.

At the prestigious Pirate Academy, only 15 children a year are selected from the most famous and successful pirate families to be trained to become the next generation of swash-buckling leaders. In Barracuda class, tensions become high with a poor report for Jacoby, the disappearance of Jasmine’s parents, the abrupt departure of their classmate Wing and the sudden arrival of the mysterious Neo Splice. Can the Barracudas put aside their suspicions and mistrust to work together and defeat a new, unknown enemy?

Fantastically written with attention to detail in scene setting and character development meaning the reader can become completely immersed in the story. At just over 200 pages long, the author keeps you hooked until the very end with a shock reveal and a cliffhanger that leaves you eager to delve into Book Two.

Perfect for adventure-loving children (and their grown-ups!).

Justin’s own pirate themed series, Vampirates, was first published in 2005 and became instant international bestsellers. Now given a new drop of life by UCLan Publishing, with new content, artwork and a fresh sensitivity read, this white-knuckle series is brought to a new generation of young readers.

Vampirates starts with twins Grace and Connor who become separated at sea and are rescued by two very different ships. But where Connor finds himself in the hands of pirates eager to train a new recruit, Grace finds herself aboard a ship with a very unusual crew, who are waiting for the sun to set before deciding her fate…

Free and downloadable resources for schools are also available on the author’s website.

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