Blackwell’s Book of the Month July 2020

The Ship of Shadows is the tale of a lost desert city, pirate hunters, a Moroccan adventure, and the deadliest, all-female ship of pirates to sail the realm.

For twelve-year-old Aleja, who is impatient to see life outside her Spanish city of Seville, the Ship of Shadows is an old legend that she’s teased for still believing in. A gifted linguist and perpetual day-dreamer, she longs for the day that she might join the ranks of the famous explorers sailing out from the port near her family’s tavern. When her unquenchable curiosity lands her in trouble at the docks, she finds herself fleeing with none other than the Captain of the legendary pirate ship, the Ship of Shadows itself.

Swept up into their adventure, Aleja and the pirate crew make haste for Morocco to search for a legendary lost city, buried in the desert sands, with pirate hunters hot on their tail. Can they find the missing piece of the magical map they’re searching for and evade the pirate hunters before they outstay their welcome in Morocco? And, even more importantly, can Aleja bear to leave her new friends to return home again?

‘A feast for the imagination . . . an enthralling adventure.’
Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song

‘This swashbuckling tale has it all – storms in jars, magic kraken bells, lost cities and a truly unique pirate ship. I loved it.’
Alex Bell, author of The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club

‘A swashbuckling feminist take on the pirate adventure yarn, Kuzniar’s fantastical tale is packed full of incident and excitement. Boarding a legendary ship crewed by a gang of hardened female pirates, young Aleja is in for some heart-pounding suspense and action.’
Waterstones, ‘July’s Best Children’s Books 2020’

‘A sumptuous delight of a book’
Sophie Kirtley, author of The Wild Way Home