Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment. The resolution balances hope with the lingering suspense of lurking danger awaiting Callie in future adventures. A frank and vivid acknowledgement of menstruation stands out as an important moment of inclusion within the coming-of-age narrative. Gentle and affirming romance blossoms gradually throughout the story. When well-meaning but flawed adults try to press for insubstantial change and unfair compromises, Callie and their friends refuse to give up or stop questioning the discrimination within their society. Callie confronts transphobia and internalized shame. Passing descriptions of background characters indicate diversity in the wider world the central characters are White. With the help of two unexpected new friends-the lord chancellor’s daughter and the crown prince-Callie rallies the courage to fight for change. When the lord chancellor demands that Callie’s father, the former king’s champion, return to Helston to train the crown prince for an upcoming tournament and the rising threat of war, Callie seizes the chance to go with him, determined to prove their worth. Only boys may pursue knighthood, and only girls may learn magic, but Callie isn’t either. Twelve-year-old Callie longs to train in the royal capital of Helston, but the rigid laws of the realm forbid it.

An aspiring knight stands against the injustice at work in their own kingdom even as war with a vengeful witch looms on the horizon.

Sir callie and the champions of helston