Compass South (Four Points #1)

by Hope Larson (Author) Rebecca Mock (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
Series: Four Points

Get ready for a thrilling journey in Compass South, a New York Times-bestselling middle-grade graphic novel full of pirates and adventure, written by the adapter and illustrator of the New York Times-bestselling A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel.

It's 1860 in New York City. When 12-year-old twins Alex and Cleo's father disappears, they join the Black Hook Gang and are caught by the police pulling off a heist. They agree to reveal the identity of the gang in exchange for tickets to New Orleans. But once there, Alex is kidnapped and made to work on a ship that is heading for San Francisco via Cape Horn. Cleo stows away on a steamer to New Granada where she hopes to catch a train to San Francisco to find her brother. Neither Alex nor Cleo realizes the real danger they are in--they are being followed by pirates who think they hold the key to treasure. How they outwit the pirates and find each other makes for a fast-paced adventure. This full color graphic novel is perfect for readers of all genders, including reluctant readers, comics fans, and anyone who enjoys action packed seafaring adventures. It's the first book in a duology, followed by a standalone sequel, Knife's Edge.

Praise for Compass South:

A New York Times bestseller!

"Mock's luminous full-color artwork beautifully showcases the late nineteenth-century locations, swashbuckling pirate battles, and jungle treks, all while effortlessly distinguishing among characters (no small feat, given the expansive, diverse cast and two sets of twins). Meanwhile, Larson, befitting the seafaring adventure, keeps the pace clipping along with frequent scene breaks and propulsive reveals. . . . A gorgeously executed, lively caper." --Booklist, starred review

"Larson, best known for her graphic novel adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, weaves a wonderful, vivid story, assisted beautifully by Mock's illustrations, which take the twins from murky back alleys to bright and vibrant ocean scenes...A charming choice for elementary and middle school library graphic novel collections." --School Library Journal, starred review

"Larson's (Who Is AC?) concoction of tried-and-true adventure elements--stowaways, pirate raids, jungle tribes--hangs together convincingly, and scene-stealers such as Tarboro, a free black man who's a brilliant swordsman and the story's true hero, provide moral ballast. Illustrator Mock, making her debut, adeptly captures the changing relationships between the twins--especially the gender-bending awkwardness that accompanies Cleo's stint as a boy. A sequel is promised." --Publishers Weekly

"Captures all the rollicking action of a Robert Louis Stevenson-type sea adventure." --The Horn Book

Select format:
Paperback
$17.99

More books in the series - See All

ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
Mock's luminous full-color artwork beautifully showcases the late nineteenth-century locations, swashbuckling pirate battles, and jungle treks, all while effortlessly distinguishing among characters (no small feat, given the expansive, diverse cast and two sets of twins). Meanwhile, Larson, befitting the seafaring adventure, keeps the pace clipping along with frequent scene breaks and propulsive reveals. . . . A gorgeously executed, lively caper.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

Larson, best known for her graphic novel adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, weaves a wonderful, vivid story, assisted beautifully by Mock's illustrations, which take the twins from murky back alleys to bright and vibrant ocean scenes...A charming choice for elementary and middle school library graphic novel collections

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission

Hornbook

Captures all the rollicking action of a Robert Louis Stevenson-type sea adventure.

Review quotes

 

Hope Larson
Hope Larson is the author of All Summer Long, which was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018 and an Eisner Award Nominee, as well as the sequel, All Together Now. She also adapted and illustrated A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel, which spent forty-four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and for which she won an Eisner Award. She is additionally the author and illustrator of Salamander Dream, Gray Horses, Chiggers, and Mercury, and the author of Compass South and Knife's Edge, both illustrated by Rebecca Mock. She lives in North Carolina.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781250121844
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Square Fish
Publication date
June 27, 2017
Series
Four Points
BISAC categories
JUV008000 - Juvenile Fiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | General
JUV016000 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | General
JUV001020 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Pirates
Library of Congress categories
Brothers and sisters
Adventure and adventurers
Voyages and travels
Graphic novels
Twins
Buried treasure
Cartoons and comics
Comics (Graphic works)
Treasure troves
Action and adventure comics

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