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A witty and entertaining magical novel telling the story of a ten-year-old girl and her quest to visit all ten aunts in order to discover the fate of her parents - were they really killed by pirates at sea? Encountering dragons, witches and water-sprites among others, Bronte is taken on an adventure she could only have imagined...

A magical tale of a girl on a mission to visit her ten aunts in order to find out what happened to her parents who were killed by pirates.

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Bronte Mettlestone is ten years old when her parents are killed by pirates.

This does not bother her much: her parents ran away to have adventures when she was a baby. She has been raised by her Aunt Isabelle, with assistance from the Butler, and has spent a pleasant childhood of afternoon teas and riding lessons. Now, however, her parents have left detailed instructions for Bronte in their will. (Instructions that, annoyingly, have been reinforced with faery cross-stitch, which means that if she doesn´t complete them, terrible things could happen) She must travel the kingdoms alone, delivering gifts to ten other aunts: a farmer aunt who owns an orange orchard, a veterinarian aunt who specializes in dragon care, a pair of aunts who captain a cruise ship, and a former rock star aunt who is now the reigning monarch of a small kingdom.

But as she travels from aunt to aunt, Bronte suspects there might be more to this journey than the simple delivery of treasure; though little does she suspect that she will have to play such a big part in the extraordinary events that follow.

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With its storytelling aplomb, humor, imagination, and many twists and turns, this novel places Moriarty . firmly in Diana Wynne Jones territory. Readers will want to begin rereading this spellbinder just as soon as they finish it, to find all the clues and connections and coincidences Moriarty drops and weaves and reconciles throughout. The Horn Book (starred review)

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Moriarty, Jaclyn
Jaclyn Moriarty is the prize-winning, best-selling author of novels for children, adults, and young adults. Jaclyn grew up in Sydney, Australia with four sisters (including authors Liane and Nicola Moriarty), one brother, two dogs and twelve chickens. Her novels include the Ashbury High books: Feeling Sorry for Celia, Finding Cassie Crazy, Becoming Bindy Mackenzie and Dreaming of Amelia. A former media and entertainment lawyer, Jaclyn has lived in the US, UK and Canada, but now lives in Sydney again, along with her son, Charlie.

Mountford, Karl James
Karl James Mountford lives in the UK.

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