A joy in both languages! Having read this in the original Swedish when a very thoughtful friend sent it with a note ‘Saw this and thought of you”. Not really sure if that was a good sign since it’s about a monkey with attitude who sails the seven seas. Having said that the monkey is tough and wants to clear her friends’s name of a crime and investigate the truth plus she LOVES a good adventure so I’m hoping she meant this side of the book!

It reminded me of ARound the World in 80n Days and that was the first book on the BookTrail!. It’s got all the classic ingredients – adventure, excitement, danger on the high seas, the struggle of getting from one place to another, delays, danger in a new city, unknown obstacles and a sense of a chance, of a discovery. Oh and that’s not without the great characters, an ape with attitude and lots of fun along the way!

I think this is a great read on many levels and certainly one to read aloud with your child doing all the voices etc. The setting is glorious with the high seas, the sense of the shipping era with huge vessels circulating the earth carrying cargo from one place to another. The list of exotic places is a treat for any traveller, literary or otherwise – sailing from one to the other with all the sights and sounds along the way is just magical when you are in such good company.

Oh and don’t call the ape Sally – she hates that. Only the full Sally Jones will do. She would love the front cover of the book – artwork she probably did herself given her many talents!