Fergus Crane is a great addition to the already stellar list of books by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. The story centers around young Fergus Crane, who desperately wants to know more about his lost father. Every time Fergus tries to get information out of his mother she bursts into tears. Those aren't his only troubles though. He also has to deal with his new teachers who look an awfully lot like pirates, not to mention that the school is on a pirate ship, and when young Fergus wakes up to a knocking on his window one night to find a box with wings perched on his windowsill things get complicated. Inside the flying box is a note addressed to him with only 4 words. "your in great danger".
This book is a must read for any fan of Paul Stewart. With many characters that only Stewart could imagine and amazing pictures by Chris Riddell that serve to fuel along the imagination you wont put this book down until the very end. ( )

The graphic-novel aspect of this book appeals enormously to young readers. It may appear to be a long book, but the numerous illustrations enhance the story and are sure to engage its audience. ( )

_Fergus Crane_ is one of the three books in the "Far-Flung Adventures" series, written by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, combining prose and extensive illustration to tell the exciting and dangerous tale of young Crane. Fergus lives in apartment building with his mother, goes to school on a clipper ship staffed with and unsavory crew, and finds himself called upon to rescue his long-lost uncle, as well as his schoolmates when their floating academy disappears into the wild blue yonder.

The greatness of _Fergus Crane_ lies not merely in its exciting adventure, but mainly in the personalities. Both are dominated by the exquisite and fantastic illustrations; unlike some books, where the pictures are simply throw-away snippets, there would be no story without them. And those personalities are themselves fantastic and individual--no one character is alike. The crew of the clipper ship academy more than a little resemble pirates, for example. Kids will appreciate the often over the top secondary characters, and adults will appreciate how they are stock characters from older fiction, such as the theater diva.

As with the other entries in the "Far-Flung Adventures," the story and illustrations spill over into other aspects of the novel, including advertisements on the back cover and flaps and author biographies. The story is written at a level that young readers can sink their teeth into it, and older readers can appreciate the amusing and dramatic world-building as well. Four stars. ( )