Chronicles of Egg: Deadweather and Sunrise

Geoff Rodkey was the screenwriter for the films RV and Daddy Day Care, but his transition to writing novels brings forth a very different kind of story. There’s no Robin Williams or Eddie Murphy style characters here (hooray!). Instead, we have bloodthirsty pirates, heart-breaking romance and a cabin boy called Guts.

Set in a world very similar to ours, young Egbert (Egg) lives on Deadweather, an island with appalling weather and very little else going for it. Former pirates with missing appendages work on ugly fruit plantations and life isn’t much fun for anyone, especially Egg. He doesn’t get on with his siblings and his father hasn’t much time for him. On a trip to the much more pleasant island of Sunrise, Egg gets cut adrift from his family and, without quite knowing why, ends up with some very dangerous men on his trail. Life is never boring for him again.

Any reader with a taste for adventure stories will love this book. It expertly recreates the pirate story for a modern audience. ‘Deadweather & Sunrise’ is a witty, at times laugh-out-loud, exciting story and is one of the most enjoyable children’s book I’ve read in years. The action sequences are thrilling and the humour is pitch perfect. There’s even a Linda Evangelista joke buried in the text. I began reading during a power cut and finished the book hours later by candlelight. I’d recommend it to anyone. For once, I can’t wait for a sequel.