The Ship of Lost Souls

The Ship of Lost Souls #1

by Rachelle Delaney

Legend has it there's a treasure in the Islands. Everyone's after it, including Jem Fitzgerald and his explorer uncle, Finn, the Islanders, and pirates. Even the infamous crew known as the Lost Souls--rumoured to be ghosts--has set their spyglasses on it. But only Uncle Finn holds the map to the treasure--until he's kidnapped by pirates and made to walk the plank, after quickly handing off the precious map to Jem. Before the pirates can send Jem overboard, he's rescued by the Lost Souls. It's the fright of his life--until he discovers that the so-called ghosts are actually children!

Sailing the Island waters, the Lost Souls, led by the daring young captain Scarlet McCray, offer haven and adventure to children in need. But can Scarlet convince Jem to give up the map? Can she quiet the mutinous rumblings of her crew? Or will the reign of the Lost Souls end with her?

The debut novel from talented young writer Rachelle Delaney, The Ship of Lost Souls turns pirate clichés upside down in an adventure that is bright, fresh and fast paced. Heaped with humour, this is a rollicking story that boys and girls will love for its themes of loyalty, friendship and confidence—and because it's just plain fun.

Genres: Adventure, Middle Grade, Fantasy

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2009

About the author

Rachelle Delaney is the author of several middle-grade novels, including The Metro Dogs of Moscow, which was a CLA Book of the Year Honour Book, The Circus Dogs of Prague, a finalist for the 2017 Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award, and Clara Voyant, shortlisted for the Red Cedar and Diamond Willow Awards. Alice Fleck's Recipes for Disaster (May 2021) is her newest novel.

Reviews

[Matt Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter read this book and absolutely loved it. She can't stop talking about it and is even running around the house dressed as a pirate. It has inspired her to write her own book on a band of girl astronauts. Any book that inspires my children to read and write more is a must read in my books!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jem has been kidnapped by pirates and all because his uncle might know where a treasure is. Before he knows it his uncle has been forced to walk the plank and Jem has been kidnapped again by the Ship of Lost Souls. This is a legendary ship that spreads fear amongst all who come in contact with it. But Jem finds out it is really a ship of pirate children captained by Scarlet. They decide to take up Jem's mission to find his uncle's treasure. Before they can find it they have to deal with other pirates, mutiny and other hijinks.

This was a fun pirate adventure. I liked the outcome of the treasure hunt. We have to guess what the treasure is just like the pirates and I liked they way it was resolved. I also liked the ship pirated by kids and the rules they have come up with to make the legend of the Lost Ship of Souls live on.

[Sandy Carmichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read written in the "old fairy tale" way. Good for both children and adults to read.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

B-. fiction, children's fiction, upper elementary, children man a ship searching for treasure

[Anne Beauchemin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read with a class or a fun exciting book for a child to read on their own. Funny, strong characters (the captain is a girl which makes for a nice twist)and fine writing. Loved the ending. The Ship Of Lost Souls

[Terry]

The story is fun and fresh, the characters engaging, and it's pretty wholesome, too. Lots of fast-paced action, a motley crew, and some twists and turns make this fun and leave you looking for the next adventure.

To read our full review, go to the Reading Tub.

[Luke Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it aloud to my 8 & 6 year olds and while it was a bit above them, they enjoyed it. Fun, original story with likeable characters. Weaknesses: it seemed a bit unnecessarily long - took a couple library renewals to finish it - and too many faceless characters made trying to distinguish members of the crew pretty difficult.

[Julie Burtinshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and was so impressed that this was a first novel – strong female lead character and a whole new way of looking at pirates. It's both funny and poignant and a great chapter book for kids from probably grade five to eight (and their parents)!

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a delightful story! Humorous with likable characters that kids can identify with easily. A captivating debut!

[Joelle Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun read! Pirates and treasure and adventure. What more could you want?

[Stven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light-hearted little pirates and treasure-hunting story, nicely constructed and pleasantly written.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ship of Lost Souls was pretty good. It has been a while since I read it but to my knowledge, there is no 4th book coming out and there were alot of lose ends in the third book.

[Codex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5.

Good story; well written.