This book was so much fun. Middle grade is probably my all-time favorite age group to read in for books, because it’s able to be silly while also putting in serious, important themes. In The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo, Ronald Zupan goes off on an adventure to save his parents. He knows they must be in some pretty serious danger, because they missed his birthday, and they would never do that. It’s told in a journal-style format, and each chapter ends with notes from Ronald’s butler, who corrects some of Ronald’s exaggerations. Arree Chung does an amazing job with these illustrations, perfectly capturing the humorous nature of the book, while also showing their great adventures. I loved these illustrations.

I laughed out loud quite a bit while reading this. While it has tons of fun adventure, it’s also incredibly funny. (A treat for the whole family to read, if you’re looking for a book that will appeal to everyone.) All the characters are vividly depicted and a joy to learn about. Julianne Sato, Ronald’s fencing rival, is smart, funny, and takes no nonsense from Ronald. I’m excited to see future books with them in it, because they’re such a great team.

What puts this book over the top is that along with humorous situations, an ever-suffering butler, and adventure upon adventure, this book also tackles a bit on what it means to be a friend and a family member. While Ronald keeps a bright outlook, he’s quite worried about his parents, and a little hurt that they don’t take him adventuring with them. It shows a boy’s continuous struggle to prove himself to his parents so he can feel fully accepted into the family business of adventuring.

This is definitely one of my new favorite books. I’m anxiously awaiting the sequel.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. ( )