Laughing Jack, the most merciless of pirates, kidnaps unloved children. Ancell, a timid hedgehog and no heroic adventurer, discovers to his dismay that only he can rescue the unloved children kidnapped by the merciless pirate, Laughing Jack. Forever fearful, he sets sail with the all-knowing sea otter captain of the schooner Misty Dawn and her motley animal crew in search of the pirates' lair. Ancell and his crew of colourful and often comical sailers, who never cease to quibble and bicker, narrowly escape islands of evil and survive storm, shipwreck and capture to make a daring rescue through the leaping flames of a land set ablaze. But Laughing Jack is waiting to exact his revenge... Will the children learn that there was always someone who loved them well enough to face death for their sake? And will the animals' valiant ally, Hector, the peace-loving estuarine crocodile, ever get to enjoy a well-deserved and uninterrupted nap?! Set in the 1800s, Ancell's Quest is an exciting, character-driven story of loyalty and love, but also of treachery and loss. It is a heartwarming tale of a very ordinary hedgehog finding the courage to follow his dreams. A book that will be enjoyed by children aged 9-14 time and again.