- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 5–8
- Comedy
Murray and Bun: Murray the Pirate
Book 3 of 4 in Murray and BunView the full series
The magic cat flap opens onto the high seas, and Murray is instantly the worst and most confident pirate imaginable. The most suspenseful entry in the series so far, treasure maps, monster islands, and the trickery_and_cleverness fantasy at full volume.
- Best for5–8
- FormatIllustrated
- Length96 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr20 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Absurdist
- Warm
- Suspenseful
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Murray the Pirate replaces the medieval setting with a pirate world and cranks the peril up a notch: the cosiness_level drops to 2 (the lowest in the series) and the suspenseful tone tag replaces whimsical, reflecting a book that leans harder into adventure-comedy tension than its predecessors. The trickery_and_cleverness core fantasy is the standout tag here, the plot turns on wit rather than brute force, which is where Bun's particular contribution to the duo gets its moment. The treasure_map and monster_island surface topics name the two-act structure accurately: this is a book of two escalating threats, and the pacing is noticeably tighter than books one and two. The heist plot_engine element (treasure-seeking as a structured scheme) makes this the most propulsive entry in the series for confident readers who like momentum. The discovery deep theme at 0.5 names the series' characteristic outcome: whatever world they fall into, Murray and Bun come back knowing something they didn't before.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 5–8
- Read aloud · 5–7
- Independent · 6–8
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Reluctant readers
- Laugh out loud
- High energy
- Gift book
Avoid if
No common reasons to avoid this one — a rare clean sweep on the sensitivity flags.
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- Making friends
- Nightmares or fears
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A funny magical-adventure series — a great pick for newly independent and reluctant readers.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is Murray being the worst pirate imaginable while convinced he's brilliant — the cat flap opening on the high seas, a treasure map and a monster island, Bun's cleverness having to save the day twice. The Murray and Bun with the tightest pacing and the most propulsive plot.
- Adventure and freedom
- Animal companions
- Secret world
- Shapeshifting
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The third Murray and Bun — pirate world dropping the cosiness and raising the comic-adventure tension, two-act treasure-map / monster-island structure, Bun's cleverness given more to do. Strongest entry yet for confident emerging readers who like momentum.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
In the series
Murray and Bun.
4 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Adam Stower.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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