The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone - by Jaclyn Moriarty (Hardcover)

The first middle-grade novel from the acclaimed author of "The Year of Secret Assignments." After her parents are killed by pirates.

This does not bother her particularly: her parents ran away to have adventures when she was a baby.

She has been raised by her Aunt Isabelle, with assistance from the Butler, and has spent a pleasant childhood of afternoon teas and riding lessons.

Now, however, her parents have left detailed instructions for Bronte in their will.

(Instructions that, annoyingly, have been reinforced with faery cross-stitch, which means that if she doesn't complete them, terrible things could happen!) She travels the kingdoms, perfectly alone, delivering gifts to ten other aunts: a farmer aunt who owns an orange orchard, a veterinarian aunt who specializes in dragon care, a pair of aunts who captain a cruise ship, and a former rock star aunt who is now the reigning monarch of a small kingdom.

But as she travels from aunt to aunt, Bronte suspects there might be more to this journey than the simple delivery of treasure.