Oliver and the Seawigs

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The wander in search of items for Cliff's sea wig so that Cliff can win the sea-wig competition and hopefully find Oliver's parents. This first 'Not-So-Impossible Tale' from Reeve and McIntyre is so much fun! Oliver and the Seawigs combines a laugh-out-loud funny story with illustrations that perfectly complement the text, a format that is both engaging and non-threatening to beginning readers. The recommended age range for this title is 4 to 8, but I think it's best suited for strong beginning readers (1st/2nd grade) and slightly older, reluctant and struggling readers... though I imagine a 4 year old with a taste for adventure and a healthy attention span would enjoy this one as a read-aloud. That said, some of the humor might be a bit over their heads; for example, the Sargasso Sea becomes the Sarcastic Sea, full of droll, sarcastic seaweed that constantly pokes fun at Oliver and his new found friends - potentially still funny for a young listener, but more so for the adult reader! Tapahtumat käynnistyvät, kun Oliver ja hänen tutkimusmatkailijavanhempansa päättävät asettua aloilleen. Paha kyllä, heidän talonsa sijaitsee poukamassa, johon on kokoontunut joukko vaeltelevia saaria. Vaeltelevia, kartoittamattomia saaria! Pian vanhemmat ovat jo tiessään yhden saaren mukana ja Oliver päättää seurata heitä toisella, sillä eihän aloilleen asettuminen ilman vanhempia tuntuu haljulta.

Conveys big truths while being witty and playful...clever and moving’ - The Sunday Times on Fever Crumb Philip Reeve’s Oliver and the Seawigs is an endearingly idiosyncratic tale that, together with the whimsical three-color illustrations of Sarah McIntyre, will capture the imaginations of intermediate readers ready to venture out from early chapter books into more challenging waters. (Since this is the start of a series, further fantastical journeys await! Next up: Cakes in Space !) Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing -

Vern and Lettuce

The book is about a boy, Oliver, who grows up with parents who are adventurers. He's excited because they've finally adventured the world enough to have seen all they wanted to see, and are about to settle down and live in a house (with beds!) and he can finally go to school (for the first time). Oliver's pretty darn excited when they arrive. But, as his parents go off to explore the surrounding islands, something happens. They don't return. Oliver goes in search of them and, as you can imagine, an adventure ensues.

Stacey de Lacey is Thurlstone's partner and the two will cheat, lie, and steal to win the contest. The two villains have captured Oliver's parents and are going to sacrifice them for the contest. All you readers traumatized by having a tease-me-till-I-scream name will nod in understanding or shake your head at Stacey de Lacey's inferiority complex as he explains turning to evil after kids teased him about his girlie name. When he frees the sea monkeys from their pods therefore getting their zealous loyalty, the narrator says, "If Stacey de Lacey had been a different sort of boy, he might have thought, 'I've found a friend!' But Stacey had never really wanted friends. He thought, 'I've found a servant!'"Swirl into the current some Sarcastic Seaweed and you'll be snort-laughing snot down your own face. Dive right in. This went on longer than I intended but for when you want to be the cool mom/dad/aunt/uncle; for the moments when you just want to read and not be disappointed; or for that time when you just want to see the word “monkey-handled”… this does the job wonderfully.

I liked the characters. I liked Oliver Crisp. I liked the wandering albatross, Mr. Culpeper. I liked the near-sighted mermaid, Iris. I liked the island, Cliff. I liked how they met and became friends. You can certainly see this is a unique story. I’m half-tempted to review this with Near-sighted mermaid! Talking Islands! Sarcastic Weeds! SEA MONKEYS! and leave it at that. Because really, if those things wouldn’t perk your interest then I cannot do much else. Also, I’m feeling a little out of my element critiquing a children’s book that is a straightforward adventure story with none of the subtext and metaphors where a broken mirror symbolises unfulfilled dreams and what-not. But Oliver's peaceful life at Deepwater Bay is soon interrupted when his parents mysteriously disappear. Teaming up with some unusual new friends - a grumpy albatross, a short-sighted mermaid, and a friendly island called Cliff - Oliver sets out to rescue them. But first he must defeat the evil Stacey De Lacey and his pesky army of sea monkeys... The eponymous Oliver is a young boy who travels the world (reluctantly) with his explorer parents. One day he wakes up to find them missing. It turns out he is on a Rambling Island, one that moved away while Mr. and Mrs. Crisp were exploring. Oliver gets to know the island, called Cliff, and a near-sighted mermaid named Iris. Together, the three try to create a magnificent seawig for Cliff. The Rambling Islands have an annual competition for who can have the best seawig. Unfortunately, a meaner island, populated by monkeys and a boy named Stacey de Lacey, doesn't plan to play fair. It's a cute little book that will appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman's FORTUNATELY THE MILK. There are some really clever elements, such as how the island's guts work. And even writing for a younger audience, Reeve knows how to turn a phrase. OLIVER AND THE SEAWIGS is independent reader friendly, but not too simple.