Hunt for the Pyxis

The Galaxy Pirates #1

by Zoë Ferraris

In this first book of an exciting fantasy-adventure trilogy for young readers, contemporary kids are introduced to a galaxy full of pirates, monkeys, and a colorful cast of other creatures—both human and otherwise.

On the night Emma Garton’s supposedly boring parents are kidnapped, she is forced to face the truth: they’ve been lying to her about many things, including the Pyxis, a mysterious amulet that holds the key to saving another world—and worse, they aren’t even from planet Earth.

To find her parents, Emma and her best friend, Herbie, must leave Earth and enter the Strands—the waterways of space, where huge galleons ply the intergalactic seas. But a journey through the constellations won’t be easy—not with evil Queen Virgo and every scoundrel in the galaxy determined to find them.

In this interstellar adventure, YALSA Alex Award–winning author Zoë Ferraris transports readers to a vast, magical universe filled with fantastical creatures, merciless villains, and fearless heroes.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Pirates, Fiction, Adventure, Childrens, Young Adult

Unknown Binding

First published August 4, 2015

About the author

Zoë Ferraris moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the first Gulf War. She lived in a conservative Muslim community with her then-husband and his family, a group of Saudi-Palestinians.

Her debut novel, Finding Nouf (published as Night of the Mi'raj in the UK) was a national and international bestseller, winner of the LA Times Book Award for First Fiction, a B&N Discover pick, an ALE Alex Award winner, and was translated and published in 45 countries. Two follow-up novels, City of Veils and Kingdom of Strangers have been published in over 35 countries. The three books have been optioned for a television series.

She has an MFA from Columbia University and currently lives in San Francisco.

Reviews

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's just say I want to read the next book in the series. This one ended with quite the cliffhanger.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of young adult fiction, but I am very glad I picked up the galley for this book. Very well written, pretty much non stop in the pacing. That is to say no slow moments even when there's a break in the action. There is also a fair bit of science here, which was a pleasant change. And the first of a trilogy. Highly recommended.

[Elevetha · Rating 2 out of 5]

**An copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

The good:

Decent prose. Nothing superb, but I couldn't really complain either. Additionally, some very neat ideas and imagery, especially as regards the constellations and the Memory Sea.


The bad:

- Basically, this suffered from zero explanation for the magic system/main driving force for the plot. The author literally doesn't even try. So there's this Memory Sea, where all these ships shipwrecked, and it's said that the sailors' memories filled the sea and now it's got memories in the water. But ALSO the water from the Memory Sea now has magical properties that people use for all sorts of things. And ALSO the memory water now holds not just the memories of the sailors, but also memories of all people. But why?? Well, I don't know. Characters just say "No one knows what it is", "No one knows why it does that", and "No one knows".


It's very frustrating.

- Emma is really dumb. Except for that one time when she has a actually smart idea at the end for getting her Mum back. But then proceeds to mess that up big time. But seriously, at the beginning of the book, she decides to turn on the Pyxis signal, letting everyone in the entire universe searching for it know where it is, even when she was told what that would entail and WARNED NOT TO DO IT.

-Now this isn't so much bad in above itself, but I'm sticking it here, because it annoyed me. 12-year olds, the target audience, might not mind this, (because when they imagine themselves on adventures, they act older than they really are) But the choices made by the kids in this book are totally unrealistic, as are how they respond to things. Sure, they make a lot of atrocious decisions, but they're very grown-up about it. Herbie reacts to events occurring fairly normally, but Emma reacts very oddly about half of the time to everything happening around her.

- This has some language randomly thrown in - "What the hell?", "ass", and "damn". But they're only used once, and it just felt like they shouldn't be there.

Now will I be back for Book 2?? Eh, if the mood strikes me and it's sitting on the library shelf, taunting me. But probably not.

[Madeleine (Top Shelf Text) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted at www.topshelftext.blogspot.com

Emma Garton's days have always been dependable: a mom that never does anything unexpected or exciting, a best friend with an overactive imagination, and weekends out on the pacific ocean learning to sail from her dad. All of that changes on the day that her parents are kidnapped by strange men demanding a mysterious object called a Pyxis. Emma and her friend Herbie are there to witness the unbelievable scene but manage to hide from the kidnappers. Afterwards, they follow the kidnappers' trail down to the water, where they commandeer Emma's family yacht and begin a chase that will lead them to places they could never have imagined existed. There's something Emma's parents have been keeping from her, and it might just be the biggest secret of all time. It turns out that there exists an entire galaxy of creatures and people separate from Earth, and that they're all looking for a princess-turned-pirate named Halifax Brightstroke, a woman who escaped death and defied her queen. If that isn't enough to take in...this woman is Emma's mom, and now everyone is after Emma too. This is where the book first hooked me: the world building in the story is incredible and full of imagination. It reminded me a bit of Treasure Planet in that it places the adventurous character-types (pirates, evil queens, etc.) that we're familiar with in completely unfamiliar territory. This adventure is fast-paced and wildly inventive and definitely one that I'll recommend to future students. There are two things that I wished for when reading the story: first, that it was illustrated. I cannot say enough good things about Ferraris's ability to world build and I think that illustrations would have really complemented that ability throughout the story. Second, there was very little character development outside of Emma and her parents. Now, there was a whole lot of information to convey to the reader in order to introduce them to this new galaxy, and Ferraris managed to do so without making it feel like an info dump, but I feel like all of that effort was spent on the setting and, as a result, the character's backgrounds were set aside. There were certain characters that I was desperate to know more about: the queen, Captain Lovesey of the Argh, and Emma's new friend Santher. I felt a bit detached from the characters while reading because I knew nothing about them, so I'm hoping that's something that will be improved upon in the next installment. And speaking of next installments, I actually yelled "Nooo!" after reading the last sentence, because holy cliffhanger! I cannot wait to see what happens next. There are so many threads left to be tied from the ending of this first book and I am eager to not only find some resolution from the climatic action at the end, but also to read more, because it's clear that Emma's adventures have just begun. This is one trilogy that I would love to see as a bookclub pick for middle-grade readers, and one that I'll be looking to buy for my classroom library. I'd recommend for any and all fans of the fantasy genre.

[Lori Twichell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. In fact, I passed it right off to my 11 year old son the second I was done with it and I rarely, if ever, do that. It can sometimes be difficult to find books that both kids and their parents like. This one hit the ball out of the park for both. Ferraris has created a fun new land that’s both frightening and imaginative. Her descriptions made it easy to picture the exotic locations and the new creatures and technology were fantastic!

The plot moved along at a brisk pace, never giving me a chance to get lost in heavy complexities or bored with long passages begging for excitement. Each new twist and turn was cloaked in just enough mystery to keep me curious and wanting more.

The characters were fun and dynamic. There were no standard caricatures here. Many of the aspects of the story revolved around the interesting relationships that were developing as the plot moved forward. This helped keep the reading fresh and exciting.

This was easily one of the best books for tweens I’ve read in even the past few years. High marks from me on The Galaxy Pirates. Both kids and adults can enjoy this adventure.

[Anya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a cute plot, but the premise is pretty silly and doesn't ever make more sense (pirates in space sailing on wormhole seas from what I can tell). I like the friendship between the characters and all the fantasy creatures though! A good read for kids who like the sound of the premise, but not particularly special.

[Laura Bentley · Rating 5 out of 5]

MOVE OVER HARRY POTTER AND MAKE WAY FOR EMMA GARTON!!!

This non-stop adventure fantasy novel for middle-grade and higher was the first children's book that I've read in a long, long time. Children, teachers, and librarians will be caught up in this magical journey that manages to make astronomy come to life. I was delighted to discover a young, smart, and highly creative girl as the protagonist! Not only can she sail a boat with expertise, but she's fearless in her search for her missing parents. The pursuit of the magical Pyxis also drives this story of intergalactic piracy on the high seas of space. I've been all over the galaxies and have learned about the mysterious memory water, chocolate vostok, and to stay away from the creepy and mind-sucking gisslins! Ferraris makes the constellations become vivid and wild with strange inhabitants and creatures. Not since A Wrinkle in Time and Harry Potter has such an imaginative and captivating novel for children been written. The energy simply explodes on the page, and you will be cheering for Emma and her best friend Herbie as they sail in uncharted waters on the memory seas!!

[Candy_ Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hunt for the Pyxis es un libro emocionante, lleno de aspectos fantásticos que mezclan toques de ciencia ficción al recordarnos en diferentes momentos que navegamos por las mareas del espacio, en vez de mares comunes.

La forma de escritura de Zoe, hace que sea fácil sumergirse en la historia aún si hay descripciones que son difíciles de imaginar. La combinación de la parte marítima con los distintos seres de las diversas constelaciones le dio un toque tan familiar y a la vez novedoso que me sumergió en las aventuras de Emma, Y si bien está catalogado como un libro para niños a partir de los ocho años, los sucesos que ocurren a lo largo de este hacen que sea un libro más para adolescentes o pre-adolescentes que infantil.

La historia sigue a Emma una niña de doce años que tras ver a sus padres ser secuestrados, encuentra y enciende un artefacto llamado Pyxies, que sus padres mantenían oculto. Ella junto a su mejor amigo Herbert (Herbie) se embarcan en un viaje en busca de su madre, en el que descubren que hay más cosas en el espacio que solo gases y materia inerte.

En el camino conocen la verdad tras el pasado de su madre y el linaje de Emma, hacen nuevas amistades y enfrentan los riesgos de ser atrapados por una reina tirana.

Si bien fue uno de aquellos libros que me alegraba retomar cada vez que seguía con la lectura, hubo cosas que me exasperaron, lo que resultó en su puntuación actual.

Primero fue la incapacidad de Emma ante el peligro de la batalla final. Durante toda la historia vimos como ella tomaba decisiones que si bien eran imprudentes, eran a veces la más acertadas, y aun cuando no lo eran siempre estaba actuando, pero entonces en la batalla final ella solo se queda... mirando los acontecimientos a su alrededor.

Luego está aquellas veces en que la respuesta a sus preguntas era tan obvia, por algo que ya sabían que el hecho que no la dedujeran, era un tris irritante.

La ultima cosa, más que exasperarme es algo que no aprecio haya colocado Zoe: la inclusión de un aspecto fantástico que involucra el uso de sangre para poder realizarlo. Si bien no dura mas de unos segundos y no es un ritual como tal es algo que quisiera se hubiera manejado de otra manera.

Por otro lado, me habría gustado que Zoe continuara con la trilogía pues si bien el arco se completa en este libro muchas cosas quedan sin resolver, respaldando la parte de la sinopsis que introduce Hunt for the Pyxis como el primero de tres libros.

[Judah Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It was Just Great

[JB Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really awesome little adventure. It’s sad that the series didn’t get finished, I’d read the whole thing.

[Marina Mowrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

warning: it seems like the first book in a series, but there is no sign of the rest of the series

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Galaxy Pirates: Hunt for the Pyxis by Zoe Ferraris is a middle grade to young adult novel and the first book in a new fantasy trilogy. On the night Emma Garton's supposedly boring parents are kidnapped, she is forced to face the truth: they've been lying to her about many things, including the Pyxis, a mysterious amulet that holds the key to saving another world—and worse, they aren't even from planet Earth. To find her parents, Emma and her best friend, Herbie, must leave Earth and enter the Strands, the waterways of space, where huge galleons ply the intergalactic seas. But a journey through the constellations won't be easy, not with evil Queen Virgo and every scoundrel in the galaxy determined to find them.


Hunt for the Pyxis is a novel of high action and solid world building. I liked the concept and the majority of the execution. The idea of the constellations being worlds which people can actually sail to, and the variety of conflicts and magics at work were all well done. I found myself intrigued and interested in learning more about the different locations, their inhabitants, and how the Strand and Memory Water worked. I found the characters to be a little flat though. While they seemed interesting and kept me reading, I felt like they were a little too predictable- they acted a little too perfect for the roles they had. They were not quite stereotypes, but at no point was I surprised by their actions or reactions. I prefer my characters a little more quirky and unpredictable rather than slightly flat and easy to understand. I did still enjoy the ride, and the fact that there was a certain level of resolution for the end of the book. However, there was a little dig at the end, a lingering sentence to ramp up the need to read the next book, that I felt was a bit unnecessary.

Hunt for the Pyxis was a good and entertaining read. It did a good job of world building and setting the stage for further adventures. It was not a perfect book, but one worth reading for those that like action, fantasy, science fiction, and/or pirates.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is a Pyxis and why is everyone after it? Emma and her friend Herbie are normal kids who enjoy their Saturday yachting trip with her father. When they have a problem out on the boat and then are attacked at Emma's house, they need to find out what is going on. Emma and Herbie hide in a secret hiding spot, but her parents are taken prisoner. They escape with a book that has clues to finding "the Pyxis". Emma and Herbie follow the trail of the kidnappers and use the family yacht to follow them. At this point weird things start to happen. Emma finds out that her parents are from another Dimension and that her mother is a princess turned Pirate. Emma and Herbie end up travelling through some slimy stuff and end up in the dimension her parents are from. The evil queen is after both Emma's mother, Halifax Brighstroke, as well as Emma. She wants the Pyxis as well as the memory water. The water is in short supply and has magical powers. Emma, just wants to find and rescue her parents. She is fearless, smart and talented which makes her a good protagonist. While there is a lot of action and description in the story, it would have been nice if there had been some illustrations here and there. I also think most of the characters were rather one dimensional and could have been fleshed out a little more. This story is a cross between a Space Adventure and a Pirate story making it Intergalactic Piracy. I think it might appeal to different types of readers, but it is definitely geared to middle grade student. There were a lot of loose ends left to tie up, so I am sure that will have the students anxiously waiting for the next two books in this trilogy.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Terryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gr.7-9
Emma Garton loves her parents, sailing with her dad on their little yacht and trading homework days with her best friend Herbie. Herbie is convinced that Emma’s dad is lying to her about who he really is. Maybe he’s a spy, maybe he’s a smuggler, or is he an alien? Unfortunately, Herbie turns out to be right and when men with guns come to the door demanding the return of a mysterious device called the Pyxis it turns out that Emma’s parents are from another galaxy. Emma and Herbie escape but her parents are kidnapped. When the children try to hide on the yacht, Emma accidentally activates they Pyxis alerting the entire universe to its existence and location and sending them on a journey sailing into the stars. Emma and Herbie find a place where pirates and magic exist, animals can talk as well as be eaten and worn and an evil queen is trying to kill them all. As they search the galaxy for Emma’s parents, they find new friends and make enemies. The character development in this book leaves a lot to be desired, however, the children are resourceful and determined and the story is absolutely action packed. There are many strange and interesting developments and the pace is swift. This first in a trilogy will keep kids reading in order to find out what happens next.

-Terry Ann Lawler - Phoenix Public Library, AZ.

[Leo Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a mixed reaction to this novel. On the one hand, I enjoyed the setting. Think of a map of the sky, and the constellations with their evocative names: Virgo, Draco, Capricorn. Think of how the stars are linked by bright lines. Now imagine that's real; the constellations are real kingdoms, whose residents and ships take on the qualities of the name; the lines are great space lanes called Strands, with a linear ocean that speeds sailing vessels between the stars.

Unfortunately, the rest of the novel doesn't measure up to the promise of the setting. The characters seem inconsistent. The language comes across as dumbed down, even for juvenile fiction. The author doesn't seem to know much about sailing or ships, a curious lapse in a book about sailing ships in space. For example, several times characters on a ship fall "to the ground." There is no ground on a ship. It is called a "deck."

In short, wonderful idea, flawed execution.

[Julie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma is living a pretty ordinary life. Her mother is afraid of everything, her father takes her sailing but otherwise is pretty boring. Emma and her friend Herbie go sailing regularly with her father. But then their lives take a dramatic turn. Emma's parents are kidnapped and Emma discovers that everything she thought she knew was false. Her mom is a notorious pirate, her dad is also a pirate, they have a mysterious amulet - the Pyxis that the Queen and others will kill for. Oh, and the Queen and many other strange people and creatures live in space. Whoa.

This book was okay. There were some good parts - action, adventure, good interaction between the characters but it was also a bit weird - I know, fantasy. This isn't one of my favorites but it was pretty good.

[Pat Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the multiple universe/multi-dimension aspect of the plot. Fast paced and interesting perspective on the galaxy. I enjoyed this author's other works, although the genre is light years different (mystery, Saudi Arabia).
Great cliff-hanger, too. When is the next one?

[Lindsey Martineau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced book I really enjoyed. I love finding books both I and my pre-teens can enjoy and talk about together.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual but muddled first novel in a fantasy series. I enjoyed some of the characters though. (2.5 stars)