Seven Dead Pirates by Linda Bailey

Lewis's grandfather leaves the family a historic old house, and Lewis chooses a bedroom in a tower at the top of the house. The ghosts of seven pirates appear and say they need his help. They want Lewis to help them get their ship back from the local museum, so they can sail to paradise called Libertalia. Lewis is extremely shy and lacks confidence, so he's an unlikely hero in this story. How is he supposed to get these ghosts into the museum without attracting attention, and how can he admit to the pirates that he has no plan? When his mom announces that she's going to sell the house and have it torn down, Lewis knows he must overcome his fears and help these lost souls.

This book was fun to read and moved along nicely. Lewis's insecurity added to the conflict and was probably the biggest problem in the story. He had to deal with a bully at school, and his father was kind of bullied by his mother. It was obvious the father didn't always agree with his wife, but it was assumed they would do what she wanted. The pirates were the stars of the book. They always had faith in Lewis and trusted his decisions, even when Lewis was didn't know what he was doing. They added humor to the plot, since they didn't understand the living world. Cars terrified them, and they loved colorful, ugly clothes from the thrift store. The climax was unexpected, so that helped bring the book to an exciting, enjoyable conclusion.