This is a great book with plenty of adventure. This is perfect for younger readers and for those that want something different to read. Perfect middle grade piratey fun

I adored this story from the start. A character called Echo Quickthorn, hidden from life outside of the palace walls, has an eccentric inventor park his airship outside her window. A magical, thrilling journey follows. This is a book I often recommend to other teachers, children and families. A wonderful read.

(Apologies for the short, late review. This was requested and read immediately prior to an extremely challenging time in my life.)

A wonderful first novel in this fantasy series, loved Echo as a characted, similar in style to Abi Elphinstone or Vashti Hardy, my class are going to love it!

This was so cute!!!

I can't help loving Echo and I did not see all of the twists and turns in this book coming. I can't wait for book two when it comes out next year. Do me a favour? Read this if you like Ship of Shadows, sassy female main characters or pirates! Oh, and animal best friends :D

Apologies for the delay, I thought I had posted my review already.

I was lucky to receive a Netgalley Arc of Sky Pirates by Alex English, illustrations by Mark Chambers which were wonderful and published by Simon & Schuster. I ended up getting a copy in my Tales By Mail Book Box and was so excited that I now had a physical copy of my very own.
I tried getting it onto so many TBR's but this month I was able to read it and I was not disappointed at all. I loved Echo as our main protagonist she had was so brave and intelligent and girls will love her. Horace on the other hand I found very annoying at the very start but as a character he had the most growth. I am not going to give this a synopsis as I feel it does not need one all you have to is pick it up and read it. I had now pre-ordered the sequel which is called Sky Pirates Dragon Gold. There is one character I have not mentioned and who should as he steals a lot of the scenes during the book because of his cuteness and cleverness - Gilbert who is a lizard and is Echo's friend. I love their love and respect for each other. For all these reasons I am giving this truly wonderful adventure 4 stars.

This is a great book that combines pirates, flying ships and plenty of adventure. This is perfect for younger readers and for those that want something different to read.

One of my favourite this year

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I tried this both physically and on audio and neither worked, the writing style just isn't one that gels well with me

11 year old Echo Quickthorn has grown up in Lockfort as an orphan after being taken in by the King when she was a baby. She dreams of escaping the fortress walls, despite the fact that there is supposedly nothing beyond them. When an airship unexpectedly appears by her window in the middle of the night, Echo's dreams of escape and finding out who she truly is come true.
Sky Pirates is a brilliant, pacey adventure story full of excitement and friendship. Echo's pet lizard, Gilbert, is also a very worthy sidekick (I want a Gilbert). If you're a fan of the Cogheart series and Brightstorm adventures then you will definitely enjoy this one too.

This book was definitely fun. We follow Echo, who is raised as ward of the king. She, and everyone else, are led to believe there is nothing outside the walls of the kingdom. Turns out, there is lots and lots out there, and great adventures are to be had.

I really thought I would love this book… and I didn’t. I liked all the elements of it… great characters, decent pacing, thrilling adventures and some good fun. But everything together, it didn’t quite work for me. It all fell flat. And I don’t know why…

Well, maybe I do. For a book called ‘Sky Pirates’, there are very few… well, pirates. They only enter the book in the last quarter or so, and even that is disappointing. The pacing turns to breakneck speed, things are resolved ever so quickly without there even being time to build tension.

Maybe my hopes were too high. Maybe my expectations were all wrong. Nothing in this book made it really stand out from other middle grade I read recently. It was just okay…

I have a soft corner for steampunkish hot air balloons and other weird and wonderful flying machines. So naturally, I put in a request when I saw the cover and read the blurb of Sky Pirates on Net Galley.

I read this interspersed with a YA romance, so it took me a bit longer to really get my teeth into the story, but that is entirely on me- book flirting has its downsides! 🙈The story is interesting and the pace is a good steady gallop so I see kids really enjoying this caper.

11-year old Echo is a ward of King Alfons, who rules over the walled city of Lockfort. Lockfort is a neat and tidy city build in concentric rings of identical grey houses which stretch outwards till the great wall surrounding the city. Outside the wall on all sides is the Barren, a vast, rocky, nothingness. And beyond the Barren is the edge of the world! Or so the Lockfortians believe, having been told so for years by King Alfons.

Echo is brave, restless and keen for adventure. Unfortunately, as the King’s ward, she is supposed to be docile, well-dressed and well-mannered. Thanks to her ‘mischief’, she has had all her privileges steadily taken away over the years and is now forced to remain inside the castle.

King Alfons’ son Horace is the same age as Echo but is her exact opposite- he would rather spend his days inside the castle, reading about insects, far away from adventure of any sort. But he is forced to learn fencing and politics and archery - all of which Echo would have loved to learn.

For Echo is on a mission- to find her mother. All she knows of her is that she left Echo in a basket on the castle steps when she was a baby. The only clue Echo has about her mother’s identity is a jewelled hairpin- an unusual piece in the shape of a wolf’s head. Echo feels trapped inside the castle amid all the comforts and luxuries. Her life’s aim is to break free and find her mother. She has to be somewhere in Lockfort- after all, there is nothing beyond Lockfort’s walls!

So you can imagine her astonishment when one night, a tapping on her window reveals an airship floating outside, stuck fast on the castle’s ramparts. And from it emerges a wild haired explorer who insists that he is from a great city beyond the Barren. Beyond the Barren?! Surely the world ends with the Barren? The explorer, Professor Daggerwing, shows her a map- marked with fabulous cities and lush islands and green moors and vast oceans. Echo is astounded. King Alfons has been lying to her and Horace and all his subjects for years! Lockfort is just a dot in a big big world-and her mother can be anywhere in it!

A series of misadventures later, Echo and the professor escape Lockfort in the airship, with an unlikely stowaway- Horace. What follows is a fantastic adventure across the bustling city of Port Tourbillon and the beautiful, tropical Violet Isles (so named because of the purple fog surrounding them). There are man-eating tropical plants, mechanical postal pigeons, giant butterflies lured by giant lollipops, a mechanical flying dragon that breathes actual fire..... and the legendary Black Sky Wolves - a fierce band of pirates that attack airships for treasure. Will Echo find her mother in all of this exciting chaos? Or will King Alfons track them down and drag them back to Lockfort before Echo can find her?

I loved the book, with it’s mix of adventure, fantasy, steampunk and allegory. After all, leaders pulling blinders on the populace and brainwashing them is a reality of the world we live in! Luckily, just as real are friendship, love, bravery and curiosity.

Highly recommended for kids aged 10+, particularly those who love fantasy. I only wish that there were some illustrations -surreal, gorgeous and lush ones that would lift the book to a whole new dimension.

I couldn't put this swashbuckling adventure story down.

Echo feels like she doesn't belong, so when an opportunity arises for her to explore her past she jumps at the opportunity. Accompanied by her best friend/ pet lizard, Gilbert, Echo sets sail on a journey to discover her true heritage.

Echo is a strong, brave female character who will inspire many young girls to have adventures of their own.

The writing is very visual and I could definitely feel myself transported into the story. I loved the steam punk feel.

What a fantastic little read this is.

This is an adventure story with it all - pirates, royalty, orphaned children, eccentric professors, dungeons, airships, butterflies ... It is the story of Echo, who was taken in by the King after being abandoned as a baby. But the king is rather tyrannical and does not allow anyone to leave the city walls as the land outside is barren and won’t sustain life. However, Echo meets an intrepid explorer in the night when he comes crashing into her bedroom and tells her what really lies beyond the walls. She then realises it could lead her to her mother.

This is such a fun, fast paced story that would suit both boys and girls. It was a wonderful read and one that would be suitable for y3 or y4 children. It is a hoot, the characters are all wonderful and the story being spun is truly delightful.

I've had this book on pre-order for quite a while and my expectations were quite high for it, I think it's safe to say that it met those expectations.

We follow Echo, a young girl who has grown up in the Palace of Lockfort ever since she was abandoned on the doorstep by her mother as a baby. She, like everyone else in Lockfort, has grown up thinking that nothing exists beyond the gates of the city (aside from the Barren that is) but she has always hoped that there was more to life than just being a ward of the King.

Her life is flipped upside down when the rather eccentric Professor Daggerwing crash lands his airship right outside of Echo's bedroom window. He shows Echo a map, a map of the world outside of Lockfort. Along with her trusted lizard Companion Gilbert and the Prince of Lockfort Echo sets off for Port Tourbillon with the hopes that she might discover who she really is.

This is one of the most impressive debut books that I have read in a while. The world building and characters were amazing and I wouldn't have thought that this was a debut. I'm already eagerly awaiting the second book in this series. I can't wait to get back to Echo and see where shes goes next.

A swashbuckling adventure full of daring escapades, likeable characters, fast-paced action and unpredictable twists! What’s not to like?!

The story centres around Echo, a ward of the King of Lockford. She is desperately seeking adventure beyond the claustrophobic walls of the castle. It seems that she may be trapped forever, until an eccentric professor crash lands his airship outside her room and opens the door to a undiscovered world filled with good friends, exciting adventures and a whole load of pickled food!

I thoroughly enjoyed following Echo on her journey to find her mother and, ultimately, herself. Sky Pirates is jam-packed with action: prison breaks, stolen jewels, amazing inventions and even a lovable side-kick in the form of a comedic lizard. It’s the perfect length for sharing and is a relatively easy, and very enjoyable, read.

I know this book will be enjoyed by the children in my Year 5 class and I look forward to sharing it with them. Thank you NetGalley for this proof.

Echo lives in a city that has nothing beyond its walls. But when an explorer lands outside her window, she realises that there may be life beyond Lockfort. What follows is a story of courage, of adventure and of friendship.

A fabulous story for upper key stage 2.

I am going to keep this short as I hate to spoil middle grade storied.

This is a fast paced action adventure story. We follow the 2 main characters Echo and Horace. Actually we really should not forget little Gilbert the lizard, he's our animal sidekick for Echo. There are also a wide range of side characters which were very well rounded.

I really did enjoy the story as a whole and found the world bulding and character development to be top notch. I did actually prefer the character arc for Horace and I do feel he progressed more throughout the adventure.

This was a great start to an adventure series and I can't wait to read more.

Absolutely breathtaking! Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond absolutely blew me away with how thrilling and engaging it was. I found it extremely difficult to put down and kept wanting to read more. This was an adventure story reminiscent of Brightstorm and Cogheart – I want more!

Echo was a likeable female protagonist who had a spark of adventure and I enjoyed following her on her journey. Horace grew on me as the story went along and Gilbert stole me away straight away. I love an animal sidekick and the interpretation of his replies to her speaking was delightful.

Is there going to be a sequel? Because I sure hope so.

Sky Pirates is a lovely adventure middle grade read with steampunk elements, present adults (well to a point) and a way to finding oneself at the young age of 11.

The kingdom of Albion is a small place, like a big city, that is completely surrounded by walls and one big gate that never opens. It keeps the nothingness of the beyond out of the kingdom. Echo is the ward to the king but has never felt quite at home in Albion. Nobody looks like her. The restrictiveness of her life makes her act out in various ways. But then an air ship is parked  next to her window, and it is the onset to a great adventure alongside her pet lizard, Gilbert.

The story starts us within the walls of the castle of the Kingdom of Albion and I could very much understand why Echo so desperately wanted to leave because it was such a drag. There was very little about Albion that felt appealing except its history with the outside world that the king says does not exist. You fall of the world when you go to The Great Beyond.

It did create a bit of a dragging start to the book however. I wasn't quite sold on the book until Echo actually left with the sky ship and we really got to the wonders of the world. However I do think that it was necessary to show the world Echo and her companions were coming from. The rest of the world was filled with wonders of the world with still so much left to be discovered in future books in this adventure series.

But the book was about finding one's place. Echo only knows she was left on the step of the castle with a special kind of hair pin. She goes out in search of anyone who knows her parents in The Great Beyond. Echo is a typical 11 year old that just wants to know who she is. Head strong and impulsive, she always judges the world by her own standards and doesn't always understand how things are different for others. Like her companion Horace, the king's son.  That is something that slowly changes for her.

Horace has been shaped to be a certain way as the future king. He is a true bookworm and not used to standing up for himself or anyone else. He was raised to follow orders and just do as he is told. Going along on Echo's adventure challenged everything he knew and it helped him grow as a person.

As for the adults, while they are there. Of course the kids are there with the ideas and saving the day and all, as it should be with a middle grade novel. But they were never truly without an adult to back them up and I enjoyed that. The professor takes them in after The Great Beyond and when they need to run he runs right alongside with them. When they get captured the adult sky pirates are alongside of them, trying to protect.

So Sky Pirates is for sure a fun middle grade and I can't wait to see what other adventures there are in store for Echo.

A beautifully-written adventure reminiscent of Peter Bunzl and Frances Hardinge, with a sparky heroine and a fabulous cast of characters. With wonderful world-building and neat plotting, this is bound to be a hit with middle grade readers. I’m looking forward to Echo’s next adventure already!

Thank you, Netgalley and Simon And Schuster Children's UK for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sky Pirates tells us the story of Echo, an 11-year old girl who is taken as a ward by the King of Albion. The story follows her as she explores the castle, gets into trouble for not being the proper lady she is raised to be. Echo finds out some of the secrets kept by the King and decides to find out the truth behind it. During this process, she sets off on an adventure that will change her whole life and her understanding of the world. The story was fun, engaging, and a great time. The pacing was good. We have the plot moving very quickly forward and the story is filled with adventures to keep the readers interested and invested. The plot is pretty straightforward. Echo is on a quest and her companions on this journey tag along with her on this quest. The story is filled with their wonder at discovering new things, places, and experiences. I believe the book will be wonderful for young readers who love a fantastical world and adventures. The characters were fun. All the characters in the story had their role to play in taking Echo closer to her goal. While I like a protagonist who is strong, brave, and goal-oriented, the character didn't have to be someone who manipulates others into doing whatever they want. I guess because I didn't like her methods much it was difficult for me to rally behind her. Echo does come around later on in the story. If you love middle-grade fiction and enjoy reading about young strong and daring female protagonists leading the adventure in a steampunk-esque world full of technological advancements; this will be the book for you. I gave the book 4 stars. I enjoyed it and had a great time reading it. I highly recommend checking this book out if you like pirates, skyships, and a colorful world.