Oliver and the Seawigs

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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. 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. 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. Kuinka vaeltavat saaret ja meriperuukit liittyvätkään toisiinsa? Saako likinäköinen Iiris silmälasit? Ja pystyykö tutkimusmatkailija koskaan asettumaan todella aloilleen?

No, this is a completely different place," said Iris. "It's called the Sarcastic Sea, and sailors fear it because the weed keeps making horrid, hurtful comments about them.'" 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.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!” Ja. Sargassomeren sijaan täältä löytyy Sarkasmimeri. Se muistuttaa kovasti Sargassomerta, mutta sen levillä on ikävä tapa letkautella kuivakanilkeästi ohikulkijoille.. Review Copy Courtesy of Random House for Young Readers (THANK YOU!!!). Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof.

Voiko olla pitämättä kirjasta, jossa on sellainen (likinäköinen) merenneito, kuin Iiris: "Iiris oli vähän pullea, eikä hän ikinä muistanut minne oli jättänyt kampansa ja peilinsä. Hän ei nähnyt mitään järkeä siinä, että istuisi koko päivän kivellä mouruamassa. Sen kerran kun hän oli yrittänyt laulaa komealle merimiehelle laivassa, oli paljastunut, että se ei ollutkaan komea merimies tai laiva ylipäätään, vaan ohi uiskenteleva mursu." 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. 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! 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. 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.

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Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - 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. In addition to finding his parents, Oliver is out to help poor Cliff win The Night of the Seawigs, a competition between the Rambling Isles who wander the seas collecting interesting objects to wear like crowns, or rather, wigs atop their heads.

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.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. Oliver-nimisen jampan vanhemmat ovat kuuluisia tutkimusmatkailijoita, jotka ovat yhdessä kolunneet kaikki maailman kartoittamattomat kolkat ja kokeneet yhdessä hurjia seikkailuja. Poikaansa he ovat kuljettaneet mukanaan. Viimein perhe on kuitenkin päättänyt asettua aloilleen ja muuttaa mukavaan meren rannalla sijaitsevaan taloon. Oliver on riemuissaan, pääseehän hän viimeinkin kouluun, mutta vanhempia tuntuu vähän harmittavan. 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. Happily, Oliver and his motley band of outcasts discover that even their perceived weaknesses can be strengths. And that there is no better prize than good friends. As he searches for his parents, Oliver runs into a timid rambling Island he names Cliff; the overbearing albatross living in Cliff’s shore, Mr. Culpeper; and a quirky mermaid on her way to the optical store, Iris. Cliff swears to help Oliver find his parents if they could help him win the Seawigs Contest. Every year, different rambling islands meet in The Hallowed Shallows to see who acquired the best seawig ornaments in their rambling. Everything was going smoothly when the island Thrlstone turned up. With a boy named Stacey de Lacey and his army of sea monkeys.