The first title in this series, Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond, was a book I very much enjoyed reading last year – a fabulous story packed with adventure, gente humour and – of course – sky pirates, so when I saw its sequel up for request on Net Galley I was desperate to read it, and thrilled to be approved – bumping it straight to the top of my TBR pile. Expecting more of the pirate airships, mechanical messenger pigeons and exciting exploits that I adored first time round, with the added bonuses of treasure and a dragon, this is a cracking tale for fans of fantasy and adventure and one which left me keenly anticipating the next in the sequence.

For anyone who has not yet read the first title, fear not – this works perfectly well as a standalone read and picks up after the events of that book when we were introduced to heroine Echo, best friend Horace and Echo’s mother Lil, captain of the Black Sky Wolves gang of pirates.

We are reintroduced to Echo as she looks for buried treasure, failing dismally in her efforts. Thoughts of her disappointment are cast aside by the arrival of Horace on a passenger airship though and she is thrilled when he tells her that she looks like a pirate should. Telling her friend that she has yet to be given her cutlass and tricorne hat, she wonders just why she has yet to receive them, especially when one of the crew who is younger than she is has gained hers – something that annoys her further when she is teased and asked whether she is a pirate or a princess.

The following morning, Echo and Horace are surprised by the appearance of a mechanical parrot which delivers a message to them intended for Lil, summoning her to a meeting of the Seven Skies Alliance of different pirate crews. Repeating the message to her mother and crew member Bulkhead, Echo listens to them discuss what it means, only to be told that it does not concern her and Horace. When Echo complains that she is never told anything, Lil tells her that pirates follow their captain’s orders – leading her to believe that her mother doesn’t think she is a real pirate.

After Lil is collected to attend the meeting, Lil persuades Horace to accompany her to where it is being held and together they borrow Cloudcatcher – a small flying machine for two and set off in hot pursuit. Without any properly thought-through plan, the pair of them crash land on the snow-covered Shark’s Fin Peak – hideout of the Thunder Sharks – and make their way inside the mountain fortress to overhear the meeting. Here, a message is shared by the assembled pirate leaders, revealing clues to the whereabouts to hidden treasure and the captains all leave hurriedly to attempt to be first to find it.

Determined to prove to her mother that she is a true pirate, Echo vows to help her find the treasure before anyone – a perilous journey which will take her to an underwater library and on to a distant volcano, but first she and Horace must find their way off Shark’s Fin Peak – something which looks impossible when they return to Cloudcatcher only to find it damaged beyond repair. How will the two children escape from the Thunder Sharks’ lair? And will they be able to return to Lil and the Black Sky Wolves in time to help them reach the treasure first?

Pirates are endlessly fascinating to children – and many adults – and here the rival clans to whom we are introduced are properly piratey but brought bang up-to-date with their technology and gadgetry. There is sufficient swashbuckling and hunting for treasure for this to reflect the traditional role of pirates, but here their airships and the strange flora and fauna of Echo’s world give the series an original feel so that an no point did I feel that this was a rehash of anything else I have read. With her determination to prove herself worthy of the epithet of pirate, Echo is a heroine who is determined to master the necessary skills, but she doubts herself at times which impacts greatly on her behaviour.

As in the first book, Echo is still frequently driven by her – often good – intentions but she is still incredibly impulsive and the more timid and introverted Horace is unable to stand up to her to prevent himself being caught up in her schemes. Time and time again, Echo at the very least distorts the truth when she involves him in her plans and it will be interesting to see whether this continues in the rest of the series, or whether he will finally have enough and stand up to her. I for one hope that he does.

As with the first title, the book is enhanced by the fabulous illustrations of Mark Chambers throughout the story which will attract a great many younger readers. At just under 300 pages long the pictures and not overlong chapters will go a long way to tempting those children who are gaining in confidence in their reading and who are ready to move on from shorter chapter books. Most of my Year 5s would love this, as would some of the Year 4s – although for some of them I would suggest this might be more suitable as a shared read.

As yet, I have been unable to find any information about a third title in the sequence, but will most definitely be keeping an eye open for it as although the book does not end on a cliffhanger as such, there are many unanswered questions and I am now desperate to see what will happen to Echo, Horace and Lil next.

As always, enormous thanks must go to Simon and Schuster Children’s UK and Net Galley for my advance read ahead of publication on August 5th. A swashbucklingly glorious 5 out of 5 stars.