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Pentagon Pirate Gang & The Poisoned Apple
Pentagon Pirate Gang & The Poisoned Apple, by J W Nelson, is a middle-grade/YA fantasy adventure that returns readers to the School of Fruit Teaching, where Aime, Oro, Semia, Gramon, and Violer find themselves caught in a dangerous mystery involving poisoned students, hidden notebooks, secret orchards, and adults who may not be as trustworthy as they seem. The story begins with alarm and urgency, as Aime and Oro’s parents sense that something terrible has happened to their children, and from there the book unfolds into a school-based adventure full of games, clues, rival houses, strange powers, and a deeper conspiracy tied to Mrs Blackfruit, Mr Thornby, and the mysterious red notebooks.
I enjoyed the way Nelson leans fully into the oddness of his world. SOFT isn’t just a school with a fantasy twist. It has its own rules, sports, rivalries, food-based language, and hidden dangers tucked behind everyday routines. That made the setting feel lively and a little eccentric, like a place where a normal breakfast can suddenly become part of a bigger mystery. The writing is busy, but there is charm in that energy. I could feel the author’s affection for the students, especially in the way the members of the Pentagon Pirate Gang look out for one another even when they are frightened, confused, or keeping secrets they do not fully understand.
I also found myself thinking about the author’s choice to make the adults so central to the danger and the protection in the story. Mrs Blackfruit and Mr Thornby bring real menace to the book, while Mrs Peaches, Mr Figgin, and Mr Tumbleweed give the children just enough support to keep going without taking the adventure away from them. That balance matters in a fantasy adventure for younger readers. The kids still have to be brave. They still have to make choices. They still have to face the emotional cost of secrets, especially near the end when the arrival of the governing body opens old wounds for Gramon and Semia. That final turn surprised me because it shifts the book from mystery and action into something more personal. Suddenly, the adventure is not only about maps and poison. It’s about family, trust, and what children are not told until the truth is standing right in front of them.
I would recommend Pentagon Pirate Gang & The Poisoned Apple to readers who enjoy middle-grade and young YA fantasy adventure with school rivalries, secret societies, hidden maps, strange magic, and a strong team of young heroes at the center. It will especially appeal to readers who like stories that mix playful worldbuilding with danger and who don’t mind a plot that leaves some threads open for the next stage of the journey. It’s imaginative, sincere, and full of movement, with a sense that the orchard still has plenty of secrets left to give.
Pages: 219 | ISBN : 978-1037120787
I Thought It Would Mean Something To Many
Pentagon Pirate Gang: Secrets of the Orchard follows five children who are attending a magical school in the woods, where they discover a dark secret the school has been hiding. What was the inspiration for your story?
The inspiration derived from a few things.
My 2 children’s primary school is called Orchard Primary School.
I wanted to write a YA book with an adventure that had children investigating misdeeds at a school and that held a deep dark secret.
Following one of my earliest point s of note about writing (use the area around you, where you live as you know it well) I chose Sherwood Forest as the setting – also I thought it would mean something to many, as its the home of Robin Hood (even though this is a mystical adventure).
Finally I wanted to show that not all teachers are good and behave well as adults, especially when they have their own agenda…
All the characters have unique characteristics and personalities. Did you create an outline for the characters in the story before you started writing or did the characters personalities grow organically as you were writing?
Yes I still have this working document. I created the main players; gave them some depth (hopefully) and I have added notes as I have written on the player and the their link into the overall story (its a storyboard with what should happen when, this also keeps the story (and me) on point as I create a hook, then I can go back to it later on and so on). Some of the story was created organically as I wrote new ideas that I felt suited the story better and were inserted over and above the planned storyboard.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Several.
Friendship and the strength that can bring as a group. The feeling that must give a child to feel part of something bigger.
The ability to put main characters that are from ethnic backgrounds with relevance to the story (one key character is from Nepal and that area of the world has a significant bearing on all the books).
Resilience – I put the characters through the mill and the 5 children are of mixed ages (from 8-14 years old), which means they all need their own voice for there age, and react differently due to life experience and maturity (or immaturity).
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
They’re are 5 books in the series (hence Pentagon) – and the number 5 is another key stakeholder in the grand scheme. I will be querying for an agent later this month and see where that goes and look at other publishers. This will hopefully lead to the 2nd book in the Series. Pentagon Pirate Gang and the Poisoned Apple.
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Five students enter a summer camp at the School of Fruit Teaching in the middle of the deep-wooded Sherwood Forest, to find the secret. They pit their wits against the spiteful and vicious headmistress, Mrs Blackfruit and her right-hand man the deputy-head, Mr Thornby. What they discover will change their lives forever.
Their adventure and investigation, with help from a couple of the teachers, leads them to unearth a powerful, mysterious, secret, that the headmistress and her deputy have tried for decades to hide.
They think that’s enough – but no. An event that occurred fifty years ago has returned to affect what is happening at the school, to the children and to everyone involved, including their parents.
How will the newly formed Pentagon Pirate Gang cope with the challenges?
And what will become of them when the tables are turned…?
Pentagon Pirate Gang
Eleven-year-old Aime Snave and her little brother, eight-year-old Oro, prepare for summer camp at the School of Fruit Learning. Accompanied by Aime’s best friend Gramon and Oro’s friend shy, little Violer, the foursome enters a mysterious world full of mystery and hidden magic. While at the school run by strict headmistress Mrs. Blackfruit, the children meet a new friend: inquisitive Semia, who is certain that all is not as it seems. Navigating the many teachers of the school, all of whom seem to harbor deep secrets, the five soon discover that they are part of something much larger than they ever could have imagined. History soon begins to repeat itself, with five young children caught in the middle of its deadly wake.
Pentagon Pirate Gang: Secrets of the Orchard by J.W. Nelson is an engaging read which focuses on a tightly knit group of five friends (the Pentagon) as they struggle to uncover the truth about the Hogwarts-style school and its mysterious past. The story is well-written, with substantial world-building and deep characters. There are no easy answers for brave Aime, her perceptive brother Oro, athletic Gramon, intrepid Semia, or sweet little Violer, who all find themselves in the midst of a mystery with far-reaching consequences. Instead, the Pentagon Pirates must work together to discover the truth in a world where uncertainty reigns supreme.
There is so much good to say about this book. Even minor characters and villains have depth, especially the malefic Mrs. Blackfruit and her paramour, Mr. Thornby. However, there are so many characters that it can be difficult at times to keep everyone straight. A bit slow getting started, the book truly finds its stride as the school sporting events begin, and the pace gets more intense as the plot thickens. A quick editorial brush-up to remove a few type errors and naming inconsistencies would make this highly intelligent plot shine even brighter. The complex mystery ends on a serious cliffhanger, leaving the reader dying to know what will happen to the Pentagon Pirates next.
A rich world with a myriad of mysteries at our fingertips, Pentagon Pirate Gang: Secret of the Orchard is suitable for readers 12 and up who love a complex setting. The book contains minor language, and children regularly find themselves in harm’s way. A deep setting with memorable characters, an engaging plotline, and unsolved mysteries that challenge the reader to think outside the box, this intrepid tale of friendship and unraveling dark secrets is an incredible beginning to the adventures of the Pentagon Pirate Gang.
Pages: 272 | ASIN : B09M4FPG9L
