When her half-sister Ophelia, the bastard child of a notorious pirate queen hanged by superstitious townsfolk, enlists in the navy under her name, nervous homebody Betsy must brave the dangers of the sea to get them both safely home and save the family business.

Sister is worried when Brother joins the Too-Tall gang's basketball team.

"It's autumn, and Covenly residents are gathering at the annual fall fair. The three Weird Sisters--Hildegurp, Glubbifer, and Yuckmina--are running a Flying Broom ride for Covenly kids. Nine-year-old Jessica Nibley is overseeing the petting zoo nearby, which includes Jessica's goat, Leona Swapnik's prized chickens, and bats, spiders, and frogs in fancy clothes from the sisters' pet emporium. When a frog hops out of the noisy petting zoo, the sisters...