Cursed Pirate Girl

I confess myself somewhat bewildered by the actual tale that transpires in Cursed Pirate Girl, the meticulously drawn comic book whose first three chapters have been collected handsomely in paperback for the first time. What I do know is that the girl in question—one-eyed, amphibious, and intrepid—is searching undersea for her pirate dad, and buckles are swashed at every turn. But I declare myself transported by Bastian's delirious, delicious pen-and-ink illustrations, which are worlds of their own: vivid, weird, and hilarious to their very corners. Kids and grownups alike who have a taste for strange intricacies will get happily lost in their tangles. (10 and up)