If one wished to introduce the work of Natalie Babbitt to young readers, this is the book to give them. It has all of the hallmarks of the author's other standout titles--wit, pithy observations about the human condition--and is perhaps her most accessible. Jack Plank offers his perspective as a failed plunderer. The book opens when Jack has just been fired by the pirate captain of the Avarice, and he winds up on the doorstep of Mrs. Delfresno's boarding house in Saltwash. He must find work in order to pay for his room and board, and each chapter chronicles Jack's consideration of a different vocation. Mrs. Delfresno's 11-year-old daughter, Nina, aids him in his mission. Each night at the dinner table, Jack regales his fellow boarders with pirate tales, and each moral explains why one career after another is not the one for him. Babbitt delivers razor-sharp observations about the underbelly of current culture ("Once you've got people scared you take things away from them," says the omniscient narrator regarding Jack's aversion to the pirate life--applicable to the Patriot Act, perhaps?) as well as uplifting comments from her characters about the importance of imagination: "Will wonders never cease," says a boarder, in response to one of Jack's tales, " 'I hope they never cease,' said her uncle. 'I like a good wonder now and then.' " Adults will appreciate the many kernels of wisdom Babbitt dispenses along the way, while children will plead for rereadings of these salty yarns, populated by mermaids, ghosts and crocodiles tamed by flute music. The author's own illustrations lend charm to the stories, and her cover hints at the hero's true calling. This novel, which comes 25 years after Babbitt's last, was well worth the wait, and will certainly send readers on to her other treasures, including The Search for Delicious and Tuck Everlasting.--Jennifer M. Brown