Midnight Pirates

Here Ally Kennen updates some adventure story clichés. Three children (and a dog) are, through a series of accidents, left alone in a (possibly haunted) hotel on the Cornish cliffs. Mysterious guests arrive. There are strange goings-on in the caves that riddle the cliffs. Eventually a ship appears in the dead of night and the children help foil an attempt at piracy and a potential shipwreck. Really, it’s as unlikely as the tales of fifty years ago with which it shares its basic plot, but Kennen carries it off with humour, attention to detail, some cool characters and touches of realism, particularly about the atmosphere of small West of England seaside resorts, that make the whole thing appear entirely possible. The relationship between the three children is particularly well done. Cal, the eldest of the three siblings, talks in surfer argot (glossary at the back); Jackie, the youngest, is a boy whose daring and sang-froid frequently exasperates his brother and sister, who have to pick up the pieces of his recklessness; and it’s all seen through the eyes of Miranda, a seal loving girl, whom we meet in a brilliant first chapter being fired from her job as a mermaid at Myrmaid Wyrld. Altogether, it’s a book that should have its readers smiling at the children’s predicament, sharing their enjoyment of a special place, wondering about the sinister turn in events, and, finally, thrilling to the twists and turns of the cleverly orchestrated climax.