Join Jim Lad and Matilda as they sail the seven seas (and the coast of Dull-on-Sea) in search of adventure and pirate loot. Every full moon, a mysterious ship is seen off the coast of Dull-on-Sea. Can Matilda and Jim Lad retrieve the stolen booty from the mysterious ship before the moon fades? After pirates plunder treasures from the Dull-on-Sea museum, the town panics, and Matilda sends a note to her pirate friend, Jim Lad, asking for help. When Jim's Jolley-Rogers family arrives, Grandpa Rogers announces the ghosts of Captain Twirlybeard and his crew are likely to blame! Matilda joins the Jolley- Rogers aboard their ship as they seek the spectral scalawags and unlock a surprising secret. This early chapter book is full of intrigue, spookiness, and pirate tales that will capture the attention of emerging and struggling readers. Gray-scale illustrations show Duddle's attention to artistic detail, and his creative use of black backgrounds and white text whenever characters are plunged into darkness heightens the feel of danger and excitement. More adventures ahoy! Book two, The Jolley-Rogers and the Cave of Doom, publishes simultaneously.