The Daring Adventures of Penhaligon Brush — S. Jones Rogan

PENHALIGON BRUSH LONGS for adventure and finds it aplenty in the seaside village of Porthleven. Within hours of his arrival, he is captured by armed ferrets and thrown into the dungeon of Furball Manor. Happily, he is rescued by friends. Unhappily, they explain that the dastardly wildcat, Sir Derek, and his ferret army plan to sink the ships of the princess of Spatavia that very night! Can Penhaligon and his unlikely band of resistors save the princess? Of course they can!

This is an old-fashioned adventure story, told with great verve and a fresh wit. Filled with more than 50 black and white illustrations, it's a perfect book to entice newly independent readers.