**Get ready for a thrilling journey in Compass South, a New York
Times-bestselling middle-grade graphic novel full of pirates and
adventure, from the same team who created the Eisner Award-winner Salt
Magic.
It's 1860 in New York City. When 12-year-old twins Alex and Cleo's
father disappears, they join the Black Hook Gang and are caught by the
police pulling off a heist. They agree to reveal the identity of the
gang in exchange for tickets to New Orleans.
But once there, Alex is kidnapped and made to work on a ship that is
heading for San Francisco via Cape Horn. Cleo stows away on a steamer to
New Granada where she hopes to catch a train to San Francisco to find
her brother.
Neither Alex nor Cleo realizes the real danger they are in--they are
being followed by pirates who think they hold the key to treasure. How
they outwit the pirates and find each other makes for a fast-paced
adventure.
This full color graphic novel is perfect for readers of all genders,
including reluctant readers, comics fans, and anyone who enjoys action
packed seafaring adventures. It's the first book in a duology, followed
by a standalone sequel, Knife's Edge.
Praise for Compass South:
A New York Times bestseller!
Mock's luminous full-color artwork beautifully showcases the late
nineteenth-century locations, swashbuckling pirate battles, and jungle
treks, all while effortlessly distinguishing among characters (no small
feat, given the expansive, diverse cast and two sets of twins).
Meanwhile, Larson, befitting the seafaring adventure, keeps the pace
clipping along with frequent scene breaks and propulsive reveals. . . .
A gorgeously executed, lively caper." --Booklist, starred
review
"Larson, best known for her graphic novel adaptation of A Wrinkle in
Time, weaves a wonderful, vivid story, assisted beautifully by Mock's
illustrations, which take the twins from murky back alleys to bright and
vibrant ocean scenes...A charming choice for elementary and middle
school library graphic novel collections." --School Library Journal,
starred review
"Larson's (Who Is AC?) concoction of tried-and-true adventure
elements--stowaways, pirate raids, jungle tribes--hangs together
convincingly, and scene-stealers such as Tarboro, a free black man who's
a brilliant swordsman and the story's true hero, provide moral ballast.
Illustrator Mock, making her debut, adeptly captures the changing
relationships between the twins--especially the gender-bending
awkwardness that accompanies Cleo's stint as a boy. A sequel is
promised." --Publishers Weekly
"Captures all the rollicking action of a Robert Louis Stevenson-type sea
adventure." --The Horn Book
