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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Oliver grew up in a family of explorers – but his biggest adventure is about to begin!
Along with his new friends – a grumpy old albatross, a short-sighted mermaid and a friendly island called Cliff – Oliver goes off in search of his missing parents. But before he can put his rescue plan into actin, there’s the evil Stacey de Lacey and an army of greasy, green sea monkeys to contend with …
10-year-old Oliver Crisp’s mum and dad are explorers. He’s spent his whole life travelling the world and having adventures but all he really wants is to settle down in a nice house and go to school. He gets his wish when his parents run out of places to explore and decide to settle down in the seaside town of St Porrocks.
But Oliver’s parents are barely through the door when they notice a strange group of islands in the sea that they’re sure weren’t there before and head off to explore them while Oliver settles into the house. When they don’t come home, Oliver sees that the islands have also disappeared. He immediately sets out to find them with a little help from a short-sighted mermaid called Iris, a friendly island called Cliff and a talking albatross called Mr Culpepper …
Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre’s illustrated novel for children aged 7+ is an absolute delight from beginning to end. Brilliantly illustrated, it’s an engaging tale of friendship, adventure and the importance of home with engaging characters, sly humour and a truly horrible villain in the form of the awful Stacey de Lacey. I came away from the book really wanting my own sea monkey and I suspect a lot of readers will too …
Oliver’s a lovely character – resourceful and determined he loves his parents but really wants a normal life. I also loved Iris, the short-sighted mermaid who’s a terrible singer but doesn’t let any of that get her down. Both characters are really brought to life in McIntyre’s terrific illustrations, which had me giggling along with the text.
The stars of the book though are the sea monkeys – mischievous, almost mindlessly obedient (albeit a little too literally at times) – I adored the illustrations and I loved all the scenes that the sea monkeys are in – especially those with the megalomaniacal Stacey de Lacey – a thoroughly unpleasant boy in desperate need of a comeuppance.
All in all this is a charming, lovely read from beginning to end and I’d thoroughly recommend checking it out.
The Verdict:
Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre’s illustrated novel for children aged 7+ is an absolute delight from beginning to end. Brilliantly illustrated, it’s an engaging tale of friendship, adventure and the importance of home with engaging characters, sly humour and a truly horrible villain in the form of the awful Stacey de Lacey. I came away from the book really wanting my own sea monkey and I suspect a lot of readers will too …
OLIVER AND THE SEAWIGS was released in the United Kingdom on 5th September 2013. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.
Along with his new friends – a grumpy old albatross, a short-sighted mermaid and a friendly island called Cliff – Oliver goes off in search of his missing parents. But before he can put his rescue plan into actin, there’s the evil Stacey de Lacey and an army of greasy, green sea monkeys to contend with …
10-year-old Oliver Crisp’s mum and dad are explorers. He’s spent his whole life travelling the world and having adventures but all he really wants is to settle down in a nice house and go to school. He gets his wish when his parents run out of places to explore and decide to settle down in the seaside town of St Porrocks.
But Oliver’s parents are barely through the door when they notice a strange group of islands in the sea that they’re sure weren’t there before and head off to explore them while Oliver settles into the house. When they don’t come home, Oliver sees that the islands have also disappeared. He immediately sets out to find them with a little help from a short-sighted mermaid called Iris, a friendly island called Cliff and a talking albatross called Mr Culpepper …
Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre’s illustrated novel for children aged 7+ is an absolute delight from beginning to end. Brilliantly illustrated, it’s an engaging tale of friendship, adventure and the importance of home with engaging characters, sly humour and a truly horrible villain in the form of the awful Stacey de Lacey. I came away from the book really wanting my own sea monkey and I suspect a lot of readers will too …
Oliver’s a lovely character – resourceful and determined he loves his parents but really wants a normal life. I also loved Iris, the short-sighted mermaid who’s a terrible singer but doesn’t let any of that get her down. Both characters are really brought to life in McIntyre’s terrific illustrations, which had me giggling along with the text.
The stars of the book though are the sea monkeys – mischievous, almost mindlessly obedient (albeit a little too literally at times) – I adored the illustrations and I loved all the scenes that the sea monkeys are in – especially those with the megalomaniacal Stacey de Lacey – a thoroughly unpleasant boy in desperate need of a comeuppance.
All in all this is a charming, lovely read from beginning to end and I’d thoroughly recommend checking it out.
The Verdict:
Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre’s illustrated novel for children aged 7+ is an absolute delight from beginning to end. Brilliantly illustrated, it’s an engaging tale of friendship, adventure and the importance of home with engaging characters, sly humour and a truly horrible villain in the form of the awful Stacey de Lacey. I came away from the book really wanting my own sea monkey and I suspect a lot of readers will too …
OLIVER AND THE SEAWIGS was released in the United Kingdom on 5th September 2013. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.
