Seagulls Don't Eat Pickles

Gr 3–5—Fish Finelli wants nothing more from the summer before fifth grade than to fix up his boat with a supercharged Seagull motor and win Whooping Hollow's annual Captain Kidd Classic boat race. A new Seagull costs more than 50 bucks, and Fish has only saved up $27.51. When local bully Bryce Billings baits Fish into a bet that he and his friends Roger and T.J. can't find Captain Kidd's fabled lost treasure, rumored to be buried somewhere near Whooping Hollow, Fish finds himself knee-deep in a mysterious pirate adventure with all his Seagull savings on the line. This light adventure novel's winning humor shines bright, brimming with nautical and pirate-themed wordplay and wisecracks. When Roger finds out that librarian Mr. E. Mann may have the treasure map, he cleverly observes, "Whoa! The librarian's got the booty!" Fish Finelli is well versed in almost everything but remains a relatable protagonist, never veering into know-it-all territory. Some readers may be put off by the characterization of Fish's overweight friend T.J., who is shown snacking in virtually every scene in which he appears; the joke gets old quickly, even when it moves the plot forward. Beene's full-page, black-and-white digital cartoons energetically accompany Fish's adventures. In the end, Farber never gets too wrapped up in the story's mystery aspects, tying up several loose ends relatively quickly. The narrative focuses instead on friendship and making the right choices, set against the backdrop of Captain Kidd's legend.—Ted McCoy, Oakland Public Library, CA