KS1 / KS2 English: Sam Silver: Undercover Pirate by Jan Burchett and Sara Vogler

ANJLI MOHINDRA:I love adventures! So does the hero of this book, Sam Silver. Imagine this, one day Sam's sat in his bedroom above his parents' fish and chip shop, polishing his gold doubloon. The next he's time-travelled backwards 300 years onto a ship.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:Shiver me timbers! Me too! And not just any ship. A pirate ship! The Sea Wolf.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:Better keep an eye out. Some pirates think girls bring bad luck to a ship. I don't want to end up walking the plank! But then again Sam's a boy, and the crew don't exactly give him a warm welcome either. At first, Sam thinks this must all be a weird joke.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:"More pirates were gathering round. A short, stout man stomped up, his wooden leg thumping on the deck. He pulled at Sam's t-shirt, with its picture of a Formula 1 racing car, and peered at his jeans and trainers. "Strap me, they be strange clothes.' 'Not as strange as yours,' laughed Sam. 'Maybe he's a spy for the Governor,' sneered Fernando.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:'Or a thief,' called a gruff voice. 'Throw him overboard,' shouted the short, stout man. 'That's right, Mr Hopp,' said Fernando. The crew pressed forwards. To Sam's horror, he suddenly found himself bundled onto the rail and staring down at the deep water below. This joke wasn't so funny anymore.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:'Avast!' barked Captain Blade. 'We'll hear his story first.' 'Aye, Captain,' said Harry Hopp, with a nasty grin. 'The sharks won't mind waiting."

ANJLI MOHINDRA:The pirates are all set to throw Sam overboard as a tasty lunchtime snack. Until he shows them a treasure map from his pirate ancestor, Joseph Silver. The tiniest chance of treasure changes everything.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:Now Sam's not shark food, he's an honorary crew member. He's a fellow buccaneer! He's a pirate!

ANJLI MOHINDRA:I've always wondered what it would feel like to be a pirate, and this book really gives you that experience. You really feel like you're up in the crow's nest, and climbing the rigging, and sailing the ship through the dangerous seas. There are some wicked characters in the story. There's Abel Wagstaff, who's bit of an ancient sea dog,

ANJLI MOHINDRA:probably the oldest sailor in the Caribbean. And then there's Sinbad, the most fearsome in the crew, and he eats rats. I've met some pretty scary creatures in my time, but I reckon pirates are in my top ten.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:If you're thinking that pirate stories are all about boys, forget it! In this story, you'll see that girls make brave and tough pirates too. Ship ahoy! The Grinning Skull! Just as well, because when your deadliest enemies are out on the ocean ready to do battle, you're gonna need all hands on deck. Now this is my kind of adventure!

ANJLI MOHINDRA:"As Sam climbed down the rigging to help, his heart hammered in his chest with fear. They were being chased by the most villainous pirate crew to sail the Caribbean. Until this adventure, the scariest thing he'd ever done was to play Attack Of The Deadly Zargons on his computer. But this was real."

ANJLI MOHINDRA:This was totally real, and about to get very dangerous too. "The Sea Wolf began to turn, but it was taking too long. The Grinning Skull was bearing down on them, and ripples of fear were running through the crew. Boom! The sound of the enemy cannon made Sam feel as if all his teeth had come loose in his head.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:It was even louder than the time the oven had exploded at home, and they'd had to call the fire brigade. Cannonballs pounded into the water, making the ship rock with each blast. A missile whizzed over their heads, and smashed into one of the topsails.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:The sail was ripped from its tethers and flapped uselessly. 'Get that repaired!' ordered the Captain. 'We need all the sail we can muster."

ANJLI MOHINDRA:I really like reading, because I love my imagination being exercised, and taken to places that I wouldn't be able to go in real life, and meeting people that I've never met before. Whenever I read a book, I like to think about which character I would like to be. I suppose my favourite character in this book is the girl.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:She's really feisty, and she's got guts, and that's what I like. She's also got a massive secret, but I just can't tell you what that is, so I'm going to keep my mouth shut, and let you find out. I really like books that take me on an adventure, like going through space and meeting aliens, or going the jungle and meeting crazy animals,

ANJLI MOHINDRA:or even going through the oceans and meeting some fearless pirates. Why don't you find a story that takes you on your favourite adventure? If you grab a copy of the first Sam Silver adventure, Skeleton Island, then you can join Sam and his pirate crew as they search for Joseph Silver's treasure, and go on some amazing pirate adventures.

ANJLI MOHINDRA:Talking of which, time for me to go home. Er, where are the crew? Hello? Hello? HELLO?