
The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe
Karen Foxlee(Author)
Sarah Barley Books / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 10. November 2026
Book
Hardback
400 pages
979-8-3471-1479-5 (ISBN)
Description
An inventive and playful illustrated middle grade fantasy adventure set aboard an enchanted ship about an abandoned girl, a friendly ogress, and a terrible curse, perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell!
An abandoned girl. A cursed ship. A race against time.
Lavender Wolfe’s world is limited to her mother, the fancy ladies they pickpocket together, and the best hiding places along the wharf, and she likes it that way. But one fateful afternoon while waiting for her mother, Lavender is snatched by a large and brusque woman named Big Agatha—the cook of a pirate ship who prides herself on being able to sniff out magic in urchins and rescuing them from the streets.
Despite Lavender’s protests that she doesn’t have magic, isn’t an urchin, and certainly isn’t a pirate, she’s given no choice but to accept the galley of The Good Marchioness as her new home—and Hans Whitby as her new name, as girls are bad luck in the galley. The Good Marchioness is no ordinary ship. Captained by Odyessia Pleasant, a fierce pirate with long blonde hair, violet eyes, and a bird’s wing in the place of an arm, the crew is on a desperate voyage to find and return stolen treasure—before all those who sail on the cursed ship are turned to sand…Lavender included.
Can Lavender help break the curse? Or will she be just another victim of it, her true identity lost to the sands of time?
An abandoned girl. A cursed ship. A race against time.
Lavender Wolfe’s world is limited to her mother, the fancy ladies they pickpocket together, and the best hiding places along the wharf, and she likes it that way. But one fateful afternoon while waiting for her mother, Lavender is snatched by a large and brusque woman named Big Agatha—the cook of a pirate ship who prides herself on being able to sniff out magic in urchins and rescuing them from the streets.
Despite Lavender’s protests that she doesn’t have magic, isn’t an urchin, and certainly isn’t a pirate, she’s given no choice but to accept the galley of The Good Marchioness as her new home—and Hans Whitby as her new name, as girls are bad luck in the galley. The Good Marchioness is no ordinary ship. Captained by Odyessia Pleasant, a fierce pirate with long blonde hair, violet eyes, and a bird’s wing in the place of an arm, the crew is on a desperate voyage to find and return stolen treasure—before all those who sail on the cursed ship are turned to sand…Lavender included.
Can Lavender help break the curse? Or will she be just another victim of it, her true identity lost to the sands of time?
More details
Language
English
Target group
Children/juvenile
US School Grade: From Preschool to Second Grade, Interest Age: From 8 to 12 years
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
ISBN-13
979-8-3471-1479-5 (9798347114795)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Karen Foxlee is an Australian author who writes for both children and adults. She grew up in the Australian outback mining town Mount Isa and still frequently dreams she is walking barefoot along the dry Leichhardt River. Her novels include Dragon Skin, Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, Lenny’s Book of Everything, and The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe. Karen lives in South East Queensland with her daughter and several animals, including two wicked parrots who frequently eat parts of her laptop when she isn’t looking. Her passions are her daughter, writing, daydreaming, baking, running, and swimming in the sea.