Twelve-year-old Jocelyn dreams of becoming every bit as daring as her infamous father, Captain James Hook. Her grandfather, on the other hand, intends to see her starched and pressed into a fine society lady. When she’s sent to Miss Eliza Crumb-Biddlecomb’s Finishing School for Young Ladies, Jocelyn’s hopes of following in her father’s fearsome footsteps are lost in a heap of dance lessons, white gloves, and way too much pink. So when Jocelyn receives a letter from her father challenging her to avenge his untimely demise at the jaws of the Neverland crocodile, she doesn’t hesitate―here at last is the adventure she has been waiting for. But Jocelyn finds that being a pirate is a bit more difficult than she’d bargained for. As if attempting to defeat the Neverland’s most fearsome beast isn’t enough to deal with, she’s tasked with captaining a crew of woefully untrained pirates, outwitting cannibals wild for English cuisine, and rescuing her best friend from a certain pack of lost children, not to mention that pesky Peter Pan who keeps barging in uninvited. The crocodile’s clock is always ticking in Heidi Schulz’s debut novel, a story told by an irascible narrator who is both dazzlingly witty and sharp as a sword. Will Jocelyn find the courage to beat the incessant monster before time runs out? Gr 4–7—Feisty 12-year-old Jocelyn Hook, the estranged daughter of Captain James Hook, longs for a pirate's life at sea, but instead she's faced with finishing school, hairbrushes, and corsets. When a letter from her father arrives, foretelling his demise by the crocodile responsible for the loss of his hand, Jocelyn is eager to set out for the Neverland to avenge her father's death. Once there, she faces pirates, mermaids, cannibals, fairies, the Lost Boys, Peter Pan, and, ultimately, the dreaded crocodile. Through it all, Jocelyn learns to face her fears, believe in herself, and realize that she's more than just a girl. Schulz's debut novel is a rollicking page-turner that's more than just an action-packed adventure. Filled with humor and pathos, Schulz has crafted a warm and humorous tale of a young girl who yearns to know the parents she's never met. Jocelyn is smart, quick-witted, and stubbornly loyal, and she proves to be a worthy adversary to all her foes, especially the arrogant Peter Pan, who insists she needs rescuing. Richly developed secondary characters, especially the emotional Mr. Smee and Jocelyn's dearest friend Roger, populate the story, and the evocative language moves beyond simple description and engages the audience's imagination. Most notable, however, is the wickedly funny narrator who doesn't hesitate to add his amusing commentary and pointed dislike for the audience to the narrative. Whether a fan of J.M. Barrie's classic tale or new to Neverland, readers will be clamoring for more from this enchanting world.—Audrey Sumser, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Mayfield, OH Heidi Schulz is a New York Times  Bestselling author and self-proclaimed giraffe suspicioner who lies to children for fun and profit. She is best known for her award winning and bestselling novel for middle grade readers,  Hook’s Revenge , published by Little Brown Books, and her picture book Giraffes Ruin Everything, published by Bloomsbury Kids. When she is not writing, Heidi can be found living with her family in their Salem, Oregon home, attempting to corral her two unwieldy dogs, sewing herself yet another fit-and-flare dress, or working through her bottomless stack of nightstand books.   John Hendrix loves to draw. In fact, he’s drawing right now in St. Louis, Missouri. He lives there with his wife and two children, and teaches at Washington University. His drawings have been featured in numerous publications, and he is the illustrator of many acclaimed children’s books. Visit John online at johnhendrix.com and follow him on Twitter at @hendrixart.