Captain Con and the Red Jacket by PortiaLily Taylor, Michelle Savoia

For Nick Grant-Caswell, the world is a gray and gloomy place. His father no longer lives at home. His sister constantly teases him. His teacher doesn't miss a chance to embarrass him. School bullies torment him for wearing thick glasses. And now he has to wear something even worse-an eyepatch!

After bullies chase him into the woods one day, Nick bangs his head on a tree. He awakes to find himself in a strange world as bright and colorful as the old one was dull and grim. It is the world of Captain Con Neopolis and the good pirates of the sailing ship, the Red Jacket. Here, Nick isn't a bullied seventh grader. He is The Other, the person foretold by the mysterious Princess Valencia to lead the captain and his crew to freedom from the evil Baron von Mal. But the only way back is learning to believe in his friends . . . and himself. Can Nick guide his pirate friends to their "one true homeport" and discover the way to back to his?

A middle grade novel by PortiaLily Taylor, illustrated by Michelle Savoia. 276 pages. Published by Lawley Publishing. Hardcover released October 20, 2026. Paperback releases January 21, 2027.