The Tides of Avarice, John Dahlgren’s latest young adult fantasy novel, is a swashbuckling adventure.  The word Avarice means insatiable greed for riches and what a pirate adventure this is.  It is the second novel set in the land of Sagaria but with completely different characters.  The main character is Sylvester Lemmington who is a Lemming (not a hamster).  After finding part of a treasure map, Sylvester is kidnapped by pirates with his heartthrob Viola and her chaperone mother.  They are taken aboard a pirate ship and it is one adventure after another.  Cap’n Terrigan Rustbane, a devious fox, is the famed pirate captain who has captured the three and his character is complex.  There are times when you love him and times when you hate him.  However, throughout it all, the treasure is the key! 

This is where the real story is.  We see the different animal characters grapple with the treasure and deal with greed, fear, courage and magic.  The cutthroat pirates will do anything to get the treasure and we see tiny characters, everyone from mice to lemmings, cower in fear and in turn push past to find their courage.  The magic is what makes this book and the ending so special.  The pirate lingo throughout the whole novel was hilarious and the author never missed a beat.  It had me spouting off some new vocabulary.  “Be good ter get you lousy lubbers off of my ship”. 

Dahlgren communicates his story in an easygoing manner.  He has a seasoned style that amateur writers would give their pinky for.  His character development draws you in and has you cheering for the good guys and booing the bad guys.  It is easy for your imagination to take hold of what he has written and create visions of the characters and storyline.  This novel could easily be made into an animated movie.  I would be the first in line.