Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2006)

When Fergus Crane is contacted by his long-lost uncle, he learns the truth about his father's disappearance and the role he can play in restoring his family's fortunes. Black-and-white drawings enhance the text, adding humor and detail to Fergus's fantastic adventures. While the characters are shallow and the conclusion too neat, many readers will enjoy the rapid-paced action.

Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

Stewart and Riddell, fresh from the success of their Edge Chronicles series, start anew with a style that is part Dickensian comedy, part pirate adventure. Ten-year-old Fergus Crane and his mother live in near-poverty; she runs the cake counter at the village bakery and assembles paper horses to earn extra money, he attends school aboard the <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Betty-Jeanne, a docked boat staffed by teachers with eye patches and hooks for hands. One night, a silver box with wings flies into Fergus's bedroom; it soon returns with a warning note ("Fergus Crane, you are in great danger! I am sending help... your long lost Uncle Theo"). The next night, he gets a visit from a mechanical Pegasus that whisks him away to the Fateful Voyage Trading Company. There he finds not only Uncle Theo but a ship's log that offers insight into the fate of his missing father. Talking penguins, a lunchbox that can draw maps and a musical about a fish on a bicycle contribute to the overall air of endearing silliness; the narrative incorporates these amusingly ludicrous elements with matter-of-fact ease. As with the Edge Chronicles, creative page layouts incorporate Riddell's whimsical illustrations in unusual ways, at times pleasingly blurring the line between novel and graphic novel. Ages 8-12. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(May)

Kirkus Reviews

The creators of the Edge Chronicles open a new series aimed at a younger audience with this tale of a lad who discovers that his teachers are all pirates. Supplemented with many hand-drawn letters, clippings and scenes drawn in great detail with almost invisibly fine inked lines, the story takes a wandering course as a mechanical flying horse takes Fergus to the mysterious Fateful Voyage Trading Company. There he meets three talking penguins and an inventor uncle he didn't know he had, learns that his father had been lost while searching for fabulously valuable fire diamonds and then travels to a remote archipelago to rescue his classmates, who had been kidnapped by his father's treacherous crew to gather the diamonds from volcanic caverns. Despite the elaborate black-and-white art and frequent artificial efforts to pump up the suspense, readers aren't likely to stay the course; Stewart spends too much time introducing a large cast of characters who mostly just pass in review, and the melodramatic bits don't arrive until very late. Missable. (Fantasy. 10-12)

ALA Booklist (Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2006)

Stewart and Riddell, creators of the Edge Chronicles, begin a new series for younger readers, the Far-Flung Adventures. Nine-year-old Fergus Crane is a poor but likable lad who lives with his mother in a seaside town and attends school aboard the Betty-Jeanne , a clipper ship manned by a motley crew of teachers who bear a strong resemblance to pirates. One morning, he finds that the ship has left port with his fellow students still aboard. A mysterious ally gives Fergus the means to rescue his friends and restore his family's happiness. With a simple plot, a few hints of mystery, and many intriguing details, this story will quickly hook readers. Riddell's expressive ink drawings make the fantastic elements more believable and add enormously to the book's appeal. Readers looking for adventure with a smidgen of inventive fantasy will find this one just the ticket.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-5-The creators of "The Edge Chronicles" (Random) are back with an auspicious beginning for a new series. When a mysterious flying box, complete with wings, arrives at Fergus Crane's window with a message from his long-lost Uncle Theo, the boy learns that he is in danger and that his uncle is sending help. Help is what he needs when the clipper ship Betty-Jeanne that serves as his school disappears with all of the students but Fergus still aboard. The headmaster and his staff are more than just vaguely reminiscent of pirates, and Fergus will need Uncle Theo's technology, and his own bravery, to rescue them. What make this book especially appealing are Riddell's pen-and-ink drawings that appear on almost every page; they capture the tone of the story as well as the personalities of the characters. They also add a great deal of variety to the design of the book, ranging from traditional full-page illustrations to portraits of the main characters to smaller drawings spread over the pages. The combination of witty art and compelling text make this a perfect choice for early chapter-book readers.-Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.