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Bretigne Shaffer

Annabel Pickering and the Sky Pirates: The Fantastical Contraption Paperback – November 27, 2019

by Bretigne Shaffer (Author), Florian Garbay (Illustrator)

15 ratings

Book 1 of 1: Annabel Pickering and the Sky Pirates

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What is the Fantastical Contraption? What secrets does it hold inside? And what about it convinced the Queen to abduct Annabel Pickering’s parents? Thirteen-year-old Annabel Pickering loves her ordinary life riding her pony, reading novels, and riding the trains and flying machines high above the city. And she ALWAYS crosses the street before she gets to the weird old house where the crazy spinster and her niece live. All she has to worry about are the school bullies until she witnesses her parents being abducted from their home. To save them, she will fly with pirates, get into a deadly sky battle with the Queen’s armies, and brave a prison escape…all with the help of the most unlikely allies. Steampunk pirates meet Harry Potter in a middle grade fantasy adventure set in an alternate 19th-century England.

Reading age

8 - 12 years
Print length

472 pages
Language

English
Dimensions

5.06 x 1.07 x 7.81 inches
Publication date

November 27, 2019
ISBN-10

0997093528
ISBN-13

978-0997093520
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"An engaging introduction to a world of wonder and intrigue.

"...Annabel believes in England's greatness and the sanctity of the queen. She's never questioned the status quo. But then her parents are abducted--not even formally arrested--by the police. Suddenly everything changes for Annabel. She is forced to hide with the odd spinster from down the street (Miss Doubtweather) and her nonverbal niece and take flight with a crew of rough-but-kind pirates. Miss Doubtweather, it turns out, is part of a secret society of freethinkers, to which Annabel's parents also belong. The pirates are more accurately smugglers; breaking the law, yes, but upholding their own moral code. The more Annabel sees, the more she must question her assumptions. But where will this get her? Will Annabel escape the Queen's Guards and rescue her parents or spend the rest of her days in prison?

"...This tale is well described and very imaginative, featuring not merely the standard elements, but also several novelties (such as the fabulous notion of using liquid to store information). To a large extent, this series opener focuses more on worldbuilding than storytelling, but the action does heat up, and the pirates in particular come into their own."

- Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Bretigne Shaffer was a journalist in Asia for many years, a yoga instructor for a few more, and is now a mother and freelance writer and filmmaker. She is the author of Memoirs of a Gaijin and Why Mommy Loves the State, and blogs at bretigne.com.

Her latest creation is "The Adventures of Annabel Pickering and the Sky Pirates" - a steampunk adventure series for middle-grade readers, set in an alternate 19th-century England.

She is also the author of "Urban Yogini" - a superheroine who cannot use violence.

Start reading Annabel Pickering and the Sky Pirates instantly on your Kindle Fire or on the free Kindle apps for iPad, Android tablet, PC or Mac. Don't have a free Kindle app? Get yours here

Product details

Publisher : Fantastical Contraption (November 27, 2019)
Language : English
Paperback : 472 pages
ISBN-10 : 0997093528
ISBN-13 : 978-0997093520
Reading age : 8 - 12 years
Item Weight : 1.3 pounds
Dimensions : 5.06 x 1.07 x 7.81 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #950,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #24,347 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books)

Customer Reviews:
15 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		71%
4 star		20%
3 star		9%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Tyler-Kate

Wonderful storytelling

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2020

Verified Purchase

I bought this book for my daughters 13th birthday. She read it in just a few hours! She couldn’t put it down. She has read it for a second time in just a few weeks and she cannot wait for the next book.

Helpful

ChildLearn

Fun steampunk adventure in the sky

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2020

Verified Purchase

Loved this book! My daughter loves the Victorian era and this book was perfect. Great tale about thinking outside the box and not conforming to be popular. Great book for kids and adults.

Helpful

Turning Another Page

Annabel Pickering and the Sky Pirates: The Fantastical Contraption

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2019

If you had a chance to board an air ship that sailed the skies with pirates, would you jump at the idea or be fearful? Aren’t pirates supposed to follow a different code than most ‘normal’ law abiding citizens? It is this very reason that Miss Annabel Pickering finds herself among their company and Shaffer certainly does make her journey fantastical!

As a thirteen-year-old girl, Annabel Pickering is far from perfect. She goes to school, she gets picked on, and she always avoids passing the spinster’s house on her way home for fear of even more torment from the mean girls. On one horrid day in particular, Annabel is on her way home when she sees men abducting her parents! Not knowing what she should do, her first instinct is to hide, but someone takes her from behind and drags her into a neighboring house before the men in black spot her. And to what house does she find herself holed up in…of course it’s the crazy old spinster’s house and her weird niece to boot! After some things are explained—but not much—Annabel must travel with pirates, escape the Queen’s Guard in a hotel, and forge friendships with those she would have never imagined in order to save her parents.

Shaffer’s characters are spontaneous, creative, and fun. They are also well developed, having a sense of adventure, mystery, and determination among other traits that readers can relate to. The pace of this story begins a bit bit slow, but there is a lot being introduced, like liquid music and… the unfolding of a bigger plot at work. With incredibly original concepts and intrigue, Annabel’s adventure becomes a story that readers will soon find themselves consuming at a much faster rate. That is what makes an exceptional story, right?! The anticipation and nail-biting or the “hanging on the edge of your seat” feeling are there for this entertaining middle-grade story. The book cover is also very appealing, especially to a younger audience and that is always a plus for the author since this is the first thing that readers generally see before the book blurb on the back. There are a few spelling and grammatical errors; however, this should not hinder the enjoyment of the novel. If you are a reader of children’s action and adventure or middle-grade steampunk, you may be interested to find out what happens to Annabel and her search for her parents.

An electronic copy of this book was provided to Turning Another Page by Reedsy Discovery and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a four-star rating to Annabel Pickering and the Sky Pirates: The Fantastical Contraption by Bretigne Shaffer.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

A remarkable heroine

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2020

Annabel Pickering is a plucky young heroine that every reader can root for. She manages to keep her cool throughout this adventure where her parents are abducted by the Queen’s Guard for no apparent reason, she falls under the protection of the neighboring spinster she’s always believed to be one square short of a quilting bee, she’s transported aboard a pirate dirigible into hiding, and stumbles into a veritable whirlwind of other unexpected and unpredictable events. Any ordinary 15-year old young lady would be paralyzed with fear, but Annabel pulls herself together and maintains the stiff upper lip someone of her background would be expected to exhibit.

The story is full of wonderful steampunk devices and the action is non-stop. The writing is witty and engaging, keeping the reader turning pages for the next new development.

This book is a rare treat and leaves the reader hungry for the next installment. Can’t wait to get my hands on book two.

Helpful

Edna Hill

Different twist

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2020

Loved this book because it took place during the Victorian Era, which anything historical I am there, and it reminded me that the events in this book were sort of on the same plane as A Series of Unfortunate Events type scenarios which just made the story that much better. I would not recommend a younger child to read this book but maybe a little older child maybe ages 8-10 or even a pre-teen around 10-12 years of age. Loved how the entire story was written so that the characters thought outside of the box and did not conform to the norm as was expected during that time frame. Well done!!!

**Was given this book to read and then given my honest review of it afterwards by HiddenGems Books**

Helpful

BriesMama

Trudges along and overall it was just okay

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2020

Annabel P. And the Sky Pirates was an interesting read. It's geared towards a YA audience and I think they'd enjoy it more than I did. Well, some of it. The story takes place in an unspecified year and time. The characters are intriguing as is the story. Although it does tend to drag on in some areas. The predicament that Annabel finds herself in is definitely going to be unsettling for many tween/teen readers. The ending was pretty odd and leaves many questions unanswered which is why I am only giving this book 3 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Helpful

Stephanie McPeak Petersen

Caractacus Potts would be right at home!

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2020

This is the book I wanted to curl up with when I was 12 years old. It contains a wonderful world in which to lose yourself; I fully expected to encounter the likes of Caractacus Potts or Miss Truly Scrumptious within its pages, and I very nearly did. But unlike many of the books I read as a child back in the 1970s, Shaffer's story includes an added dimension. Without being preachy, the Annabel Pickering story illustrates to young readers the face of a very real villain: a rent seeking, regulatory, militarized state with the ability to incarcerate its commercial and ideological foes. These lessons, though, are quietly woven into the rolling hills of a 19th century British countryside, above which plays out an edge-of-your-seat pirate adventure full of flying contraptions and fantastical inventions that I think most pre-teens and teenagers -- even adults -- will enjoy.

Helpful

Snub

Delightful and charming

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2020

In the vein of A Series of Unfortunate Events, this is a charming and immersive book that follows a young protagonist on her adventures into the fantastical world hiding just underneath the surface of her normal life. Annabel herself is a great protagonist facing both familiar and extraordinary problems. This story is filled with unique steampunk contraptions and is absolutely delightful.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Celestra Cassidyne-Hook

Well written and imaginative.

Reviewed in Canada on March 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

Exciting and mysterious adventures of a young high school girl who finds herself in a very unique situation. Facing losses and dangers she is challenged to be innovative to attain her goal. Mystery and suspense in every chapter.

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