Nelly and the Quest for Captain Peabody

The hero of this swashbuckling adventure story is the fiercely determined and fiery-haired Nelly. Her father, the enigmatic Captain Peabody, is missing, and Nelly knows that it is up to her to save him…wherever he is!

Roland Chambers’ heroine is fizzing with girl power and doesn’t think twice about knitting herself some new sails for her namesake, the good ship Nelly, and setting a course for adventure.

Though her story is teeming with playful pirate stereotypes, Nelly’s escapades offer a fresh approach to the genre. Macho male pirates become quivering cowards when faced with Nelly’s ferocity and girly pursuits like knitting and waltzing are portrayed as indispensable skills for any successful seafarer.

On her voyage to rescue her father, Nelly overcomes gruesome pirates, upside-down whirlpools and giant octopuses, all entirely without help (though she has a little assistance from her turtle, Columbus). It is this resilience and independence that endear the reader to Nelly most strongly. She is headstrong and resolute and will always find port in a storm – or a volcano in the North Pole! Even though, in this story, the narrative meanders a little off course at times, Nelly can be trusted to keep a steady hand on the tiller in future episodes where she is sure to continue rescuing hapless, beardy boys from peril!