Avalina Jones tells the story of a swashbuckling pirate! The novel is filled with adventure and action! Avalina is also a very strong heroine! Middle school readers will be sure to love this new series! I recommend this fans of Shannon Hale, Jessica Day George, and Tamora Pierce!

A fun adventure for swashbuckling fans. Avalon’s was an interesting character to follow and it was easy to see life on the sea coming to life and learn new terms about parts of a ship (which seemed important for book with a setting on a ship).

This was such a fun read! Definetely what I was expecting and I did not leave this book disappointed. Avalina is a fierce young woman and her adventures throughout the book were so interesting to read about. I also like the last one of her kind trope, so my opinion is sort of biased, but believe me when I tell you that this is a book for all ages that you won´t regret picking up! Can´t wait to read the rest of the series and see where the author does with this story!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Avalina Jones when we met her in the orphanage. She's a bit brash and swashbuckling (appropriate as seen by the cover). Her unexplained power with water was fascinating.

As the story progressed, I couldn't help but see similarities to Harry Potter and Hogwarts. However, if a younger child isn't family with HP, I think they will enjoy this story with its clever magic, bad-natured teachers, and of course Avalina and her friends. Life is rough when people believe you're cursed!

One thing that worried me was how one of the pet breeds (a lemming) was known as being "suicidal" and the kids had to watch that it wouldn't jump overboard. I didn't like the word "suicidal" in a middle-grade book when this is a growing problem in society. (Picky, I know, but it could have been something else.)

On another positive, I liked how creatures from the ocean were used. The half creatures. Dangerous critters. And I also loved how members of the crew weren't who they seemed—or better said, not as they portrayed themselves.

This is an adventurous novel and kids will enjoy it!

Magic school and pirates. This is a fun fantasy adventure for middle grade readers with a leading MC that is strong and relatable (even if she is a pirate).

This is a Middle-Grade fiction about this 10-year-old girl Avalina Jones who is an orphan and lived her whole life in this orphanage knowing she was different. Then one day this odd woman comes and tells her that she's a pirate heir and 'kidnaps' her to this cool huge schoolship. There she has to solve some mysteries and prove that she doesn't have the infamous Davy Jones curse.
Well... I really wanted to like this, I did. The cover looked cool, and I wanted to try reading some books about pirates as I don't read much (if at all). But it just didn't work. For some reason, I couldn't get into it and it was frustrating. I just wasn't interested in any of the characters, they really were underdeveloped. I could see how much it was influenced by HP, even the separation by houses with colors and one of the 'houses' being evil for no reason... sigh. I know fantasy writers can't help but get influenced by other popular fantasy books, but it was done so boringly... Don't get me wrong, I think others may like this, just not for me.
I wasn't really in a state to read this anyways, but my time limit was approaching so I had to rush... I read this at the same time as another arc The Crowns of Croswald which I also have similar feelings towards as well.... both influenced by HP... The ending wasn't that satisfying or shocking. I don't think I'll read the sequels, sorry.
Also, why does Avalina on the cover has blond hair when in the book it's clearly stated she has dark hair?!

I didn't finished it but it was only because timing because OMG IT'S GOOD ! The setting, characters all was soooooooooo great ! The so immersive writing made me want to go on a ship and I got sea-sick as hell. Avalina is funny and brave, I route for all the diverse cast too. I particulally appreciate that, since it's a book for middle graders talking about pirate world, it doesn't hide the threats and the danger, even the possible death
Really it's a good story, I need to buy the book to know the end and put some pressure on french publishers to have it here, it will be a shame otherwise !

Cute book! If your kids liked Harry Potter then they will fall in love with Avalina Jones too. She is a fun character with lots of charm and adventure. My students are going to love this book!

This was an awesome middle-grade pirate adventure novel! I loved the concept of a pirate school-ship, and the main character was great.

Thanks to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An orphan unaware of their potential, alone and down-and-out gets invited to a boarding school where they learn magic and mayhem, sound familiar? Maybe? But then you add pirates! Magical pirates! On a huge magical piratey ship!

I loved this, I was drawn into all of the little details, the various classes and powers and piratey adventures. I was rooting for Avalina as she starts to find her place in this new world, and, though there were several parallels that could be drawn with a certain other famous school of magic: the 'decks' being very reminiscent of 'houses for example', it didn't stop the world, the characters, and the plot feeling fast-paced and fresh and vivid.

I would really recommend this to younger readers, and can't wait to find out what happens next.

Do you like ACTION?
Do you like ADVENTURE?
Do you like heartwarming stories with lead characters you can't help but love, despite their mysterious backgrounds, and uncertain futures?
Do you enjoy finding yourself in the middle of a magical pirate ship with new friends AND enemies, as well the potential for an infamous family curse to be weighing over your head?
Do you like second, third, and even fourth layer characters that are drawn into the forefront because they too deserve their time in the spotlight and are memorable too, even if the story isn't there's at heart?
Do you want me to stop asking if you love these things because OBVIOUSLY you're still reading this and the answer is pretty clear...YES, WE ARE SHARING THE SAME BOAT OF BOOK LOVE FOR THIS TITLE?

Good because I was running out of questions! 🤣
Seriously though, this book was un-put-down-able from start to finish. Once I knew Avalina, I had to know more. I felt bad that she had the start she did, but as time goes by, some of that grit, that gumption, that I can survive anything attitude really comes into play, and you can't help but wonder...was that why she grew up where and how she did? (*ponders*) The moment her non-Anna-esque time comes to seek bigger, grander adventures, I was in awe...I mean it's not often a character LITERALLY escapes in/on Cloud #9 (inside joke...read it, you'll see!), lands where she does, gets passed around like a bad omen, only to find a home she never knew to look for, with friends that are by her side through thick and thin! Pirating may be her heritage, but the size of her heart is the real treasure...and I know a couple of Buccaneers that would swear to that statement in a heartbeat, let alone members of the crew.

Get on board this new Children's Fantasy series post haste because once the ship has sailed...okay, well the only thing that will happen is you'll have to play catch up in order to read the series, but seriously, be IN THE KNOW NOW and you can grab top rank in the fandom order of things!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an EARC of this novel. The free copy did not influence my review.

Avalina Jones has been living at an orphanage for her entire life. She has magical powers that allow her to breathe underwater as well as being a bit of a daredevil by swinging from high places and playing lots of little pranks on the master of the orphanage. She has never really fit in with any of the other orphan kids. So when a pirate comes to take her away to join a school for pirates, she is happy to oblige and ends up going on a journey filled with curses, magic, and the occasional “spud gun”.

This book was okay. It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for in a book, but this would be great for a young child who doesn’t really care about character development or writing. It was very similar to Caroline Carlson’s Magic Marks the Spot, but a little bit younger. Overall, just not for me.

Ages 8+

3.5 stars

An absolutely brilliant middle grade story that I could not recommend enough!

This story is built on lovely friendships, a new adventure and a curse that may or may not be the cause of trouble.

I would have loved this book as a child but even now I really enjoyed it and would recommend to family and friends with younger kids/siblings.

You will not want to stop reading!!

Avalina Jones' safety is in jeopardy because she may or may not have the "Jones curse" in her blood. Her parents' decision was to isolate her from their kind (Pirate Heirs) and leave Avalina to a directress of an orphanage Miss Ward (a landlubber). Landlubbers usually hate pirates because most pirates have "Sea Magic", and when Avalina showed her first signs of having this magic, Miss Ward didn't take it well. After that, Avalina questioned herself if she really belonged to a place like this; until a woman entered the highly secured orphanage at ease looking for Avalina Jones.
The story started really good with the introduction of Avalina Jones and her life at the orphanage. Although, it felt like the idea was a little overused, this one really did it well in my opinion. I can think of several books that have school setting but I've never encountered a school that is also a ship. This is where it felt dull, when Avalina Jones arrived at the ship, she and other "pirate heirs" were sorted into groups. There was an officer who chooses which duffel bag is appropriate to a pirate heir, and that bag has a tag (buccaneers, renegades, scallywags and others). This one is similar to Harry Potter's sorting hat that labels children to different houses. The buccaneers was like Gryffindor where every friends that Avalina met before the sorting duffel bag happened to be in this group. While renegades was like Slytherin where they are viewed as "the bad guys" and are always against the main character. The other houses don't have much spotlight because most interactions happen between the buccaneers and renegades. After that, the events were just like every story that has school setting: classes, trials, rules, penalties for misbehaving. I was close to dnf'ing this one but I'm glad I pushed on because the events around 60% of the book got me hooked. From there until the end, it was absolutely amazing.
My expectations on this one was a book filled with adventures, going from one island to the other. But, the first half was just Avalina going to classes and it felt like the element of being in a ship cruising the ocean was left off. The first treasure hunt even happened inside a classroom, it wasn't even bad, it's just that the setting happens in a very large ship where there's even a lagoon in the middle of it, and the treasure hunt can't be arranged in a place larger than a room. However, all of these was changed when the High Fleet (three other ships, this means three other schools) arrived and compete with each other to find one treasure. It was so fun looking for clues, going from one island to the next, and circling around the seas when someone misunderstood a clue. For this, I commend the author for a major come back on the plot.
There were also hybrid creatures aboard the ship, like HumantaRays (half human and half manta ray), Octosapien (half human and half octopus), their kind is also called Half Ones. The diversity of characters in this book is remarkable, there were Nigerian, African, Puerto Rican pirate heirs along with Avalina. It makes this book perfect for middle grade readers to expand their imagination.
In summary, the book might be a familiar read at first, but as what I was hoping, it branched out to different elements in the later part of the book. It's full of mystery with its treasure hunting, secrets that were kept aboard the ship, and full of magic. I recommend this one if you love pirates, mysteries, and magical realism (because they were sailing the seas around Madagascar and Mozambique).
Actual rating: 3.75/5

Avalina Jones and the Eye of the Storm (#1)
And the Eye of the Storm
by Lori Adams
Pub Date 29 Nov 2021
Spyhop Publishing, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
Children's Fiction | Middle Grade | Sci Fi & Fantasy



I am reviewing a copy of Avalina Jonesboro: And the Eye of the Storm through Spyhop Publishing, Independent Book Publishers Association and Netgalley:






After a young girl learns she is the Last Heir of the infamous pirate Davy Jones, she is whisked away to begin life aboard an enchanted schoolship for Pirate Heirs where danger and excitement awaits.




Contemporary kids who happen to be Heirs of the most villainous and celebrated pirates in history. Superstitions, mysteries, curses, secrets, strange ocean creatures, undead pirates, and seafaring legends will thrill middle-grade readers in this rollicking, globe-trotting adventure.







Avalina Jones never heard of sea magic flying dinghies, Pirate Heir schoolships, phantom islands, undead pirates, or creatures called Half Ones. But when a beautiful woman arrives in a swirling waterspout, Avalina’s life soon has more adventures than she could have ever imagined. She takes her rightful place aboard a giant Pirate Heir schoolship teeming with Heirs of the world's most nefarious pirates.



Avalina who was raised as a Landlubber, quickly realizes bizarre and danger are normal aboard Pirate Heir schoolships—food fights back, school supplies giggle or explode in your face. And not everyone can be trusted.




After Avalina was accused of a terrible crime, she must prove her innocence or risk being banished from the schoolship forever—and this in the middle of a crucial Treasure Hunt!



Avalina finds herself in a race to unlock secrets of the ship and makes a dangerous discovery that threatens everyone aboard. With the help of her deckmates, Avalina draws closer to the truth, unaware that a deeper, darker fate awaits.



I give Avalina Jones and the Eye of the Storm five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Thank you for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Avalina Jones is a 10 year old orphan who has a big secret. She is moved away from the orphanage into a world she never knew existed. She finds other people like her and a few enticing lines later jumps straight into a new adventure.

I listened to the audio and I loved it, though there were a few times I did fall asleep while listening. I am a huge fan of pirates and I love seeing them in books! The writing was really fast paced but it worked. I loved each of the characters too!

Overall, it was a great middle grade book and I highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Spyhop Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We meet Avalina Jones in an orphanage and come to find out she's inquisitive and bit of a handful. However, she has a secret and is trying to keep it a secret. One day she is escorted away from the orphanage and discovers another world she had no idea existed. Avalina realizes her secret may not be a secret any more. She has found others like her and perhaps she has found her home. This book is about discovery for Avalina, not just the new adventure but more about herself.

I thought this was a fast paced, adventurous, and fun read. It gave me major Harry Potter vibes with a semester at sea magic school. If you like mystery, a pirate world filled with lore and magic, the school setting, and some very healthy competition, this book is for you. Avalina is a character you see grow over the course of the story. She's relatable and vulnerable at times. I loved that you and Avalina are on this journey together. You're both experiencing things and on this adventure together. There are typical set characters in this book: the best friend, the sweet and smart yet weird friend, the class clown, the bully, the teacher you love, the teacher you loathe, and the man in charge that is stern but not scary. Each one had their own personality and I felt over the course of the book they were developed. This appears to be the first in a series so I'm excited to see their growth going forward. The world building was spot on. I felt that I was "one of the crew" the whole way through. You can tell the author put a lot of time in the details for this world. It was also a really creative idea. The introduction of new terminology was well done and explained, so you're not completely clueless or hung up on the words. There is a lot of name dropping, which intrigued me and made me want to know more about that world.

This was definitely one of the most exciting and adventurous middle grade books I've read recently and highly recommend it for those that are longing for a hint of nostalgia, action packed adventure, a comfort like home, and loveable characters.

Pirates meet school of magic! What isn’t there to love?

Avalina grew up in an orphanage and had a strange affinity for water. When she discovered that she was the last heir to the pirate Davy Jones and “kidnapped” to a ghost school ship she encountered a world filled with magic, strange creatures and danger.

Yes, people will recognize some similarity to another famous series about an orphan and magic school but there are differences too. I thought this world was even more populated with strange foods and creatures. Although there was a form of class competition the big event was a treasure hunt that the entire ship had to decipher and it wasn’t just about the classes competing against one another. The bad guy was a bit obvious.

While targeted at Middle Grade age, if you like pirates, magic and friendship this is a fun and exciting read for any age.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Avalina has lived in an orphanage from the age of four. Soon after her tenth birthday, Avalina develops strange powers like breathing underwater. A mysterious, beautiful woman appears to her in a swirling waterspout and turns her life upside down.

This creature swoops her up in a magical dinghy to a phantom pirate ship. Avalina learns that she is the last surviving heir of Davy Jones. This ship is a school for pirate heirs divided into four houses that compete to decipher a pirate map and retrieve its treasure.

Avelina must prove that she is not guilty of an awful crime. There are thrills, adventures, secrets, and legends along the way. Through it all, Avelina is not afraid to stand up for rights, fight the bullies, and work hard. Middle-grade readers will love the wonderfully descriptive language of Sea Magic, ghost pirates, fantasy sea creatures, and strange places. Highly recommended for adventure seekers and fantasy lovers, especially those in the eight to twelve age range.

High seas and pirating adventure mixes with imagination and quirky magic to create a very rich world, which is more than just a bit of fun.

Avalina Jones has spent more than half of her childhood at the orphanage, gazing at the Mississippi River. Strange things happen around her, which makes her positive she isn't like the other children, but the headmistress refuses to explain exactly what it is. When an odd woman comes to the building in a flying boat and kidnaps Avalina with the promise to take her where she truly belongs...and the woman knows her dead parents...the adventure begins. Avalina is a 1st year student on a famous, pirate ship school, might have a curse, and has more than a few enemies.

This is a fun adventure from beginning to end. It packs imagination...and I do mean to the gills. Every page swims with magical hints, objects, characters, and quirkiness, creating a very rich fantasy world, where nothing seems to be impossible and surprises lurk past every gangway. The characters are just as rich and pop off the page. There's never a second for boredom and always something happening. So, get ready for fast-paced because this book is that.

To say that this one reminds me of Harry Potter's Hogwarts is an understatement. There are many parallels in the world, although in this book, everything takes a very strong pirate twist. In that sense, I even found it clever and loved getting lost in the fun. However, all the fun details also became too much and ended up overwhelming the plot and scenes, at times, until I felt distracted and would lose the main line. But this could just be me, since the richness is amazing and is sure to thrill younger readers.

Avalina Jones is a character to root for from beginning to end. She gets herself into sticky situations, is a bit head-strong, and yet, even held back, at times. She fits her age group all right and definitely slides into a great character for a middle grade read. The tale is tense and also stays age appropriate....but then, it's simply a lot of fun. Fantasy and pirate fans are sure to enjoy this one.
I received an ARC through Netgalley and really enjoyed the fun in these pages.