Through a Cave to Adventure

Chris and his twin brother Kenny are on a hike in Idaho with their grandfather. When they find a cave, the three decide to explore it. Inside, the three find nothing other than the cave's walls. No ghosts, goblins, or pirates. No treasure. Then they find a crack in one branch that hints it might lead back outside. It is too small for the grandfather, but he agrees to let them explore it.

Accidental Pirates: A Pirate & Dragon Adventure for Boys, by Stanley Wheeler, has the boys enter the cavern only to discover more adventure than they planned.

The cavern leads to the outside, but outside is not 21st-century Idaho. It opens to a fantasy version of the 17th-century Caribbean. Moreover, when the boys reenter the cave, the crack that took them there has disappeared. They are stuck.

They quickly find a friend, Court, a young adult from their time. He is also stuck in this world. The three are quickly captured by the evil pirate, Captain Ross, and forced to serve on the crew of his ship, the Sorceress.

This world also had dragons. The biggest one, the Green Lady, attacks and damages the Sorceress. The ship is forced to land at Dragon Island, home to dragonlings and cannibals. The dragonlings, immature dragons, have razor-sharp feathers. The cannibals have razor-sharp appetites.

The boys must navigate these perils. They learn to load and fire flintlock pistols, to climb rigging and serve as cabin boys. With Court’s aid, they escape Captain Ross, the Green Lady and the dragonlings. They also discover a way to escape this world: find the Lost Chest of Black Bart and use its treasures to return home.

This book reads like a delightful cross between Treasure Island and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Told from the point of view of Chris, it is written for children, especially those between ten and thirteen. It does not talk down to them and can be enjoyed by all ages.

If you are looking for a gift for a tween or child more interested in video games than reading, consider Accidental Pirates. It is sure to pry them away from the screen long enough to read it—maybe even convince the child that there may be more books like it worth reading. If they are foolish enough not to read it, that is okay, too. That leaves a book for you to enjoy.

“Accidental Pirates: A Pirate & Dragon Adventure for Boys,” by Stanley Wheeler, Raconteur Press, November 2025, 270 pages, $14.99 (Paperback), $4.99 (E-book)

This review was written by Mark Lardas, who writes at Ricochet as Seawriter. Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City, TX. His website is marklardas.com.