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. He ends up teaming up with a near sighted slightly chunky mermaid named Iris. Who is completely awesome sauce. She doesn't care to sit around primping and singing like the other mermaid ho's. (No the book didn't call them ho's..I did.) 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.

The story is about Oliver Crisp, the son of two intrepid explorers who met on top of Mount Everest and haven't stopped exploring since. Naturally, Oliver wishes they could just live at home instead – home being the most exotic place imaginable to someone born and raised as an explorer. However, when his parents mysteriously vanish, Oliver is plunged into an adventure that takes him to a hidden sea world. Here he befriends a myopic mermaid, a talkative albatross, and a shy Rambling Isle. (Rambling Isles are giant stone beings who wander the oceans; they're often mistaken for islands, for they collect flotsam and wear it proudly on their heads, calling these collections "seawigs".) With a little help from his friends, Oliver navigates this acquatic realm, and finds his way to a resolution that cleverly reconciles home with exploration. 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. 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 action there's the evil Stacey de Lacey and an army of greasy, green sea monkeys to contend with... I’m not quite sure of the point in Mr. Culpeper’s character but I truly loved Iris. For a story that would probably appeal better to young boys, I found Iris as a strong independent mermaid who needs no sailor to sing to a good anchor and balance to the book.So for whatever divine or voodoo reason I got pre-approved for this, I'm just so happy I have now found the genre where I cannot bring myself to complain about anything seeing as I’m too busy having fun. Conveys big truths while being witty and playful...clever and moving’ - The Sunday Times on Fever Crumb No heroic quest is complete without obstacles. Just as Odysseus braved Sylla and Charybdis, Oliver stands tall against the insults of Sarcastic Seaweed and outlasts a swarming tide of sea monkeys. And, with the help of his new friends, the daring and brave Oliver confronts the evil giant island, The Thurlstone, and Stacey de Lacey, the piratical bully with a girlish name. Stacey de Lacey’s face turned a dark shade of red. “Silence!” he shouted. “Stacey is one of those names that can be for a boy or a girl! Like Hilary! Or Leslie!” 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...

This was an incredibly adorable book. When I first got invited to read this book, I had no idea what it was about. I saw the title, cover, and that it was middle grade, and said yep I'll give it a shot. I'm really glad I did. Because even though sea-wigs are not some type of fluffy animal, they are still a very cute and amusing concept.Review Copy Courtesy of Random House for Young Readers (THANK YOU!!!). Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof. For as long as he can remember, Oliver has been travelling the world, having exciting adventures with his explorer parents. But he's actually quite pleased when they realise they are no longer any blank spaces left on the map to explore, and decide to head home to Deepwater Bay, where Oliver can have his own bedroom and go to school. Englantilainen Philip Reeve on murtautunut mainioilla teoksillaan omien suosikkieni joukkoon lasten- ja nuortenkirjallisuuden sarjassa, ja niinpä päätin tarttua myös miehen uusimpien suomennosten joukkoon kuuluvaan kirjaan "Oliver ja meriperuukit" (Aurinko, 2017). 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. 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!