Caroline Carlson

Caroline Carlson builds comic middle-grade adventures around Hilary Westfield, a determined pirate, her talkative gargoyle, and a kingdom where magic functions as currency. The Terror of the Southlands is the second Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates story, sending Hilary after a stolen enchanted treasure while her reputation comes under suspicion. The Buccaneers’ Code closes the trilogy as Captain Blacktooth and the Mutineers threaten Augusta, forcing Hilary to challenge the league's leadership. HarperCollins Children's Books published the American editions, with the finale appearing in September 2015; Simon & Schuster Children's handled the British series. Carlson combines high-seas action with jokes about etiquette, institutions, and who is considered fit to lead. Dave Phillips supplied interior illustrations for the series, while Petur Antonsson created the finale's cover art. Across both books, Hilary's competence matters more than conformity, and the playful pirate framework supports questions about honor, friendship, rules, and earned authority.