Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Swords, explosions, life lessons as comic pirate tale ends.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
BLUE SEA BURNING picks up where The New Lands left off, with 13-year-old Egg Masterson, recently snatched from the jaws of death, and his friends on board the ship of fearsome pirate Burn Healy -- which is sinking fast and pursued by enemies. Meanwhile, Egg's love interest Millicent has been sent home by her villainous father, who's bent on killing Egg (and any number of other people). Thus begins a barrage of perils for our heroes, who before the story ends have faced sea battles, weapon-wielding miscreants, slave traders, and an erupting volcano, as well as much character-building conflict.
Is It Any Good?
Embellished with fearsome pirates, buried treasure, slave traders, poignant romance and forays to exotic locales, this book winds up the saga with sweetness, panache, and severed limbs. Egg's earnest, comically deadpan narrative voice adds much to the story's appeal, as he grapples with challenges large and small, dodging death one minute and plunged into romantic angst as Millicent takes up with the handsome Cyril.
One peril gives way to another in the fast-moving plot as Egg seeks to avenge his father's death, win Millicent's heart, stand by his friends, evade all the people trying to kill him, and be worthy of the large amount of money it cost Burn Healy to free him from danger in Book 2.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about pirate stories. Why do pirates appeal to so many people? How do The Chronicles of Egg compare with other pirate books and movies you know?
Did you learn anything about slavery from this story? How would you feel if you were a slave? What would be different from the way you live now?
In theory, this is the end of the series, but the ending leaves plenty of possibilities for further adventures. Pick a character and make up a story about what he or she does next.
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Adventure
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship , Pirates
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Putnam Juvenile
- Publication date : April 3, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 17
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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