Far-Flung Adventures Series by Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell

FERGUS CRANE! YOU ARE IN GREAT DANGER! I AM SENDING HELP. Signed T. C., your long-lost Uncle TheoAt midnight, a winged box flies in the window with a warning for nine year old Fergus. Then a winged metal horse whisks him off to meet his long-lost uncle and penguin helpers, Finn, Bill, and Jackson... moreFERGUS CRANE! YOU ARE IN GREAT DANGER! I AM SENDING HELP. Signed T. C., your long-lost Uncle TheoAt midnight, a winged box flies in the window with a warning for nine year old Fergus. Then a winged metal horse whisks him off to meet his long-lost uncle and penguin helpers, Finn, Bill, and Jackson. Captain Claw may teach tunnelling for free to the five smallest applicants aboard school ship, but the pirates plan a six-week trip to Fire Isle, where the volcanic eruption nine years ago has cooled enough to gather valuable fire diamonds from the caverns, and where his father, Captain Marcus Crane vanished. less

Corby Flood and her family are about to set sail on the rather ramshackle cruise ship, the S.S. Euphonia. Her boisterous brothers might not have noticed that anything is wrong, but Corby is highly observant and has a lot of time for note-taking and eavesdropping. Onboard, among the odd passengers and eccentric crew, there is a strange group of men in bowler-hats who call themselves The Brotherhood of Clowns. There's also a melancholy wailing sound coming from the hold... moreCorby Flood and her family are about to set sail on the rather ramshackle cruise ship, the S.S. Euphonia. Her boisterous brothers might not have noticed that anything is wrong, but Corby is highly observant and has a lot of time for note-taking and eavesdropping. Onboard, among the odd passengers and eccentric crew, there is a strange group of men in bowler-hats who call themselves The Brotherhood of Clowns. There's also a melancholy wailing sound coming from the hold. It's strictly out of bounds but Corby can't help investigating. What could be inside the crate she discovers down in the hold? As the ship arrives at its destination, Corby must enlist the help of some very well mustachioed locals to uncover the contents of the crate and the dark secrets of the menacing Clowns... less

Hugo Pepper, orphaned by polar bears, is raised in the Frozen North by the Runter-Tun-Tuns. At 12, he sets the sled Compass of the Heart to home, Firefly Square in Harbour Heights. Editor-blackmailer Elliot and snoopy Cressida are evicting the neighborhood. But Hugo's gran was pirate Brimstone Kate - her treasure awaits. Drawn in intricate amazing detail.