Space Pirates and the Monster of Malswomp

by Scoular Anderson

Presented as a cartoon strip filled with colorful details, this sequel to Space Pirates and the Treasure of Salmagundy brings back Captain Tosca and the gang. But this time they must face the dreaded monster of Malswomp to get the treasure. Young readers follow along as the pirates try to identify the correct docking pod, read a metro map, and navigate their way around dark and dangerous sewers. But it won't be easy — the clues are concealed on jigsaw puzzle pieces hidden all over the planet! This zany adventure lets youngsters learn map-reading while they join their pirate pals in the treasure hunt.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 11, 2007

About the author

Scoular Anderson was born in 1946 and brought up in Argyll. He studied at Glasgow School of Art, then worked in London as a illustrator.

Reviews

[Heidi]

Grades 3-6
2008 Golden Duck Finalist
This picture book has a lot going on. Each page looks like a complicated game board flanked with comic strips. The illustrations are delightful, filled with alien metropolises, gardens, spaceports, and mazes. The text alternates between directions to find hidden puzzle pieces and comics narrating the story. The character names are age-appropriately silly, and I can imagine that young readers would be highly motivated to solve each page. In addition to being an entertaining story, this is a great book to strengthen direction-following and map reading.

[Tina B]

space station, picture puzzle