Book excerpt: Peggy Piercy, a 112-year-old crofter, lives on a remote island in farm, raising her great, great grandniece Gemma and her great, great grandnephew Martin. Eight years ago, Gemma and Martin were brought to Peggy and entrusted to her care, having been orphaned after their parents disappeared while traveling between the Isles of Night. Peggy has enjoyed bringing them up, but now that they are teenagers she wants them to get an education. To do this, Peggy must transport them in her rickety boat on a long journey across some of the most pirate-infested, dangerous-creature infested, weirdo-infested, and unpredictable sky this side of the Main Drift. One morning, Peggy, Gemma, Martin, and Peggy’s sky-cat Botcher set sail. It is an exciting journey for sheltered Gemma and Martin, who have little knowledge of the world around them. Along the way, they encounter a toll-demanding sky-troll; a deadly sky-shark; a crossbow-happy survivor of a child army; an eccentric rat-skinner; a submarine from another dimension; a sky-motel where the customers are made to fit the beds and provide their own dinners; and the seductive Friendly Isle, which few ever manage to leave. Maneuvering all these dangers and desperate characters, the four reach their final destination, only to find more surprises awaiting them. Sky Run is the exciting new adventure by author Alex Shearer, and is sure to capture the interest of action-loving young readers. This book is aimed as readers aged 9 to 12, and has a fast-paced, adventurous tone throughout. The pirate/adventure theme is sure to attract young boy readers. Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.