Fergus Crane has an almost ordinary life&mdash;attending school on the ship Betty Jeanne and helping his mother in the bakery. But then a winged mechanical horse appears and whisks Fergus off to meet his long-lost uncle. Not only that, he finds out that his teachers are not what they seem&mdash;they're actually pirates! Can Fergus save his schoolmates from the far-off Fire Island? Perfect for 8- to 12-year-old readers, this is a deliciously accessible story. <br><br>"Part Dickensian comedy, part pirate adventure."--Publishers Weekly