Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

There's nothing like inheriting a previously unsuspected family curse to add spice to an ordinary life, as young Jack discovers when a distant grand uncle dies. Suddenly, his strait-laced teacher, his routine-loving dentist dad and other adults are being temporarily transformed into leering, well-armed, larger-than-life pirates with names like Hellfire Drake or Tortuga Anna, and coming after Jack in revenge for a 300-year-old betrayal. Rossell moves the tale along briskly, supplying Jack with both an ancient, talkative parrot to fill in the backstory - and to provide jolly commentary on each successive attack: Ha ha ha, they're after you now, shipmate! - as well as a generous fund of native wit that comes in handy once he realizes that there's no way he's going to best his assailants in a physical contest. By the end, Jack triumphs, and even finds a way to lay the curse to rest - but the pirate ghosts aren't completely gone, as all of the grown-ups who hosted them are showing uncharacteristic streaks of wildness. Well-stocked with funny characters and situations, here's a rousing tale for all young hearties, with outstanding read-aloud potential to boot. (Fantasy. 9-11) (Kirkus Reviews)