If it wasn’t for a greedy seagull, Max would never have met Sofia. He was about to go fishing with his Grandpa when he saw the bird dive-bomb the visitor to his town of Starry Bay. She was enjoying an ice cream cone when it snatched it right from her hands! Wanting to help the stranger, he offered his own ice cream to her. But the bird isn’t finished.

Max and Sofia realise it has something wound around its leg and decide to help the cheeky gull. In the chase, it leads them straight into an ADVENTURE!

A small sailboat is lying among the moss and mangrove trees not far along the beach. When they venture aboard to explore, something amazing happens. The seagull reappears (but that’s not the amazing bit). Max slips on the boat and grabs the wheel. It begins to move by itself, faster and faster, then the boat itself spins and tosses like in a storm. They open their eyes to discover they are not in Starry Bay any longer.

This is the first in a new series called Wind Riders. Max and Sofia are animal lovers and in this first nautical adventure, they arrive near an island where tiny turtles are at risk.

Illustrated throughout in shades of aqua and greys, this story has a large clear font, fun chapter headings and shares an exciting adventure tale. A sailboat is a timeless portal to other places needing some environmental help.

A section of the book changes from black text on white, to white text on darker pages, increasing the tension of the tale as they scramble to help tiny turtles and think about how their loved ones in Starry Bay must be worried about where they are.

Looking forward to more in this exciting junior chapter book series.

Author – Jen Marlin

Illustrator – Izzy Burton

Age – 6+

Listen to a sample of Wind Riders here

(2022, Harper Collins, Adventure, Action, Ocean, Sea, Boat, Sails, Time travel, Portal, Beach, Seagull, Turtles, Animals, Series, Friendship, Environment, Technology making people redundant)