The Rollicking Adventures of Tam O'Hare

The very day that Tam O'Hare and his nephew MacNutt, a scrappy young squirrel, are to set sail for America from their Irish homeland, Tam receives urgent word that little Bryndolyn, the sister of his beloved Abigail in Scotland, has been stolen by the Good People. Many years earlier, Tam had sworn allegiance to the seven-day-old Mary, Queen of Scots. This promise was about to cause all kinds of problems for Tam. Upon his arrival in Scotland to search for Bryndolyn, he is called to defend his queen against a nasty plot by her very own cousin, Elizabeth, to dethrone her, and the adventure to find Abigail's sister is postponed. The swashbuckling, courageous Tam, highly skilled with a sword, battles pirates, captures a warship, and sails straight into perilous negotiations with Queen Elizabeth. Can he save his own hide and his raccoon crew? Will he be able to rescue Bryndolyn from the fairies before it's too late? This is a charming and magical tale of adventures on the high sea and of the heart. Scotty Roberts has a wonderful way with authentic language from the old country, and has illustrated his own book with beautiful drawings full of emotion. Highly recommended.

We all have our favorite books from childhood and love to introduce our own children to those old friends. I bought this book last summer and my son and I began reading it together. Since then he has finished reading the book on his own as have I. We both love the book and my son plans on rereading the book and using it for a book report assignment in school. The story is wonderfully written and keeps both adults and kids drawn into the story. The illustrations (done by the author) bring the story to life and add depth to it's telling.