Captain Clawbeak and the ghostly galleon by Anne Morgan

cover image

Random House, 2007
(Age 9-12) Jack's father is building a ship in the back yard, and Jack can't wait to launch it and sail away to adventure. But his dreams come true most unexpectedly, when a petrel flies by with a message from Stormie Lou who tells them that his parrot, Clawbeak has been capture by the notorious pirate, Van Den Dekker. Later that night a storm causes Dad's boat to loose from its scaffolding and the boys float away. They find Stormie Lou and Clawbeak and the mysterious pirate, but they are all aboard the Flying Dutchman, and the boys must be careful lest they remain on board it for ever. An exciting if unusual pirate story, (one of so many currently in print), Captain Clawbeak is the first in a series and is aimed at middle to upper primary students.
Fran Knight

booktopia