M.S Corley

Christopher's parents are gone, no where to be found. They are presumed dead by his neighbors so he's carted off to an orphanage which he quickly escapes from and lands himself in hot water with a bunch of pirates. These pirates, Stinky and Boots, are part of a merchant's vessel ship that is harboring some weapons for their government. Stinky and Boots are coming together in order to betray their captain to prove themselves to a fearsome pirate named Captain Red Blade. As they are organizing their plans Christopher is caught listening in. He has to comply with what the pirates want and remain quiet (he acts as a mute) while he boards the ship and goes to work. But how can he possibly keep the pirate's plot all to himself especially when he grabs hold the eye of Lucy, the captain's daughter? With the help of his human guide, a mouse named Leo, Christopher embarks on a mission to save the merchants ship crew. How will he convince them he's telling the truth when he can't say a word for fear of his life and theirs?

In the first few pages we meet Leo, Christopher's human guide. I want to mention him first because this little mouse got me hooked to this story. He's clever, courageous, and gives some great advice to Christopher. He was sent to a special school where he learned how to protect and help his human companion. He mainly lets Christopher work through his struggles however, he helps him out from time to time especially when he is in a bind. I thought having Leo in this story was so clever and such a fun part of the story. He really teaches Christopher some great lessons that allows him to think about the best course of action he must take and be independent with his own mind.

Christopher was such a good, determined person. He worked hard throughout his daily chores and tried to do his best to make sure that no one got hurt. I really liked that he used his wits to fix his problems although I wouldn't have minded a sword fight or two. Lucy is a headstrong girl which is how I like my female protagonists. She's very caring towards Leo but when it came down to business she made sure that she was competent enough to help as best as she could with the situation.

Stinky and Boots were way more vicious than I expected. This book really shows you how pirates and villains can act. Christopher was in real fear of his life especially since they were so harsh and unforgiving in their threats on his life. It was lucky Christopher stumbled on to people and animals who didn't treat him this way because it would have been way harder for Christopher on his journey.

I enjoyed all the characters - foes and friends alike and that the characters used their wits to solve their problems. I would like a continuation of this story because it wrapped up with some things I want resolved or known. Like I want to see the characters grow up and see what becomes of them. Also, Christopher was going somewhere when he stumbled on to the pirates so I want to see how that all plays out. ARRGH! was a really fun read with a great story and courageous characters - especially the furry ones.… (mere)