A Newbery Medalist offers a new pirate adventure set in San Diego, California, in 1846. Twelve-year-old Shipwreck, a cabin boy on the pirate ship "The Giant Rat of Sumatra," is so named because he survived a shipwreck. This is his story. Illustrations.

This whimsical tale begs to be read more than once. To begin, savor the richly-colored, humorous, and detailed illustrations. Next, delight in the far-fetched lengths McToad goes to fulfill his responsibility and relish his transportation descriptors. And finally, relive McToad’s Thursday sequence of events backwards! Jam-packed for young-reader entertainment.