Start your Summer with Swashbuckling Pirates in 'Scarlet Morning!'

&emsp;&emsp;Looking for an exciting story steeped in magic and lore for the whole family? Look no further than ND Stevenson's illustrated novel, "Scarlet Morning!" &emsp;&emsp;When infamous pirate Captain Scarlet Morning murdered the beloved queen Hail Meridian and stole her crown, she set off the Great Blow, turning Dickerson's Sea to a salt-crusted wasteland and hurling the realm into chaos. All remaining pirates were hunted down and executed, and a fog of nothingness called The Gray creeps on the edges of the world. &emsp;&emsp;Fifteen years later, Viola and Wilmur, a pair of orphans and best friends, long for families they've never known but have always imagined. So, when Captain Cadence Chase (who is 100% absolutely not a pirate, she swears) appears out of the fog and demands a strange puzzle of a book left in Viola and Wilmur's care, they make a deal: Chase can have the book if she takes the pair, too. With no other choice, she agrees, springing the friends from the salt-crusted town of Caveat and throwing them aboard her ship, the Calamary Rose, with the rest of her eclectic crew of also not pirates! &emsp;&emsp;Viola and Wilmur sail away from the monotony of their home and right into the center of an adventure of epic proportions. Suddenly, they're dodging danger from all sides as they try to uncover the secrets of Dickerson's Sea, from the mystical nonsense of the book to the truth in the legend of Scarlet Morning. After the friends are separated during a grand storm, Viola and Wilmur learn just how far they'll go (metaphorically and literally) to get back to each other, all while fighting to save Dickerson's Sea from utter destruction along the way. &emsp;&emsp;"Scarlet Morning" is a swashbuckling adventure for the whole family and a great option for a read aloud on those long summer trips! With fun and captivating illustrations, incredible worldbuilding, and hysterical and authentic characters, "Scarlet Morning" has something for everyone. There's a sense of nostalgia in the story for older readers who enjoyed "A Series of Unfortunate Events" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," while simultaneously providing a new take on pirates, found family, and the power of truth. Find "Scarlet Morning" at Keene Public Library in the youth department under MG Stevenson!