Review Detail

What if someone stole your words and you were no longer able to say them?
We've all experienced that feeling of being unable to say what you want. Imagine for a moment that the words are physically stolen from you. The Ship of Stolen Words confronts just this issue. Sam is counting down the minutes to summer vacation. However he and his best friend Mason are having troubles in their friendship. When Sam wants to express that he is sorry, he finds that the word is missing from his vocabulary and embarks on a quest to find the missing word. Encountering pirates and goblins and a world unlike any he's ever known, Sam is about to have the adventure of his life.
I really enjoyed this book. Fran Wilde spins an imaginative tale about the importance of words, the weight they carry, and how to guard and use them wisely. For Sam, his adventure is a learning experience. I loved the goblins and the advanced world they live in. It reminded me a bit of the steampunk fantasies in YA fiction. While written for an older elementary audience with longer chapters and challenging words, I believe it will appeal to middle grade readers as well.
Final Thoughts: The Ship of Stolen Words teaches an important lesson about how and when to use our words and offers an exciting adventure filled with perils and new friends.