Family Reading Guide

Samuel Williams has been waiting all summer for his family camping holiday. But when thieves steal the family tent, the adventure appears to be over before it has begun. Then Samuel notices a mysterious old pirate watching him. With the stranger's help, the tent is recovered and the holiday is saved. But that night, the pirate appears beside Samuel's bed. His name is Captain Marc Williams, a ghost from Samuel's own family history who has been waiting nearly three hundred years for him. Captain Marc has transformed Samuel's ordinary wristwatch into a guide capable of finding the people, places and truths he needs most. Soon, Samuel and his cousin Sarah are following the clues of a forgotten pirate legend to the Dorset coast, an ancient pathway and a hidden place called the Pirates' Playground. There, Samuel must train as a pirate, prove himself as a guardian and prepare to open a doorway into the impossible world of Scardungeon. But Samuel is not the only one waiting for it to open.

M. J. Bull grew up believing that the greatest adventures begin with imagination. As a child, he and his brother spent countless hours turning ordinary places into extraordinary worlds, a love of adventure that inspired The Scardungeon Adventures. Samuel Williams and the Pirates' Playground is his debut novel and the first in a series following Samuel, Sarah and Cantrice as they discover the extraordinary world of Scardungeon. When he isn't writing, M. J. enjoys spending time with his family, exploring the outdoors and dreaming up the next adventure. Welcome to Scardungeon. Your adventure has only just begun.

• Design Your Own Doorway: Draw or describe a doorway into your own impossible world. What's on the other side?
• Make a Treasure Map: Draw a map of your street, garden or local park as if it were part of Scardungeon, with your own hidden 'Playground' marked on it.
• Create a Guardian Animal: Cantrice is Samuel's parrot companion. If you had a magical animal companion, what would it be, and how would it help you?
• Colour In Scardungeon: Visit scardungeon.com/colour-in to colour characters from the book online, and share your finished picture in our gallery.

Samuel Williams and the Pirates’ Playground is written as a gentle, adventurous introduction to themes of family, courage and belonging, suitable for readers of all ages and a lovely read-aloud for the whole family. The book touches lightly on loss and family history without dwelling on anything frightening, and its ghost pirate characters are drawn with warmth rather than menace. As with any adventure story, we’d always encourage reading together and talking about the story afterwards — we hope the questions above give you a good starting point.