Oliver and the Seawigs

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Vanhemmat havaitsevat kuitenkin riemukseen lähistölle ilmestyneen saaria, ja lähtevät niitä tutkimaan - ja jäävät sille tielleen. Nyt Oliverin on lähdettävä pelastusretkelle, jonka aikana hän joutuu mitä mielikuvituksellisimpaan seikkailuun, jossa häntä auttavat äreä albatrossi, likinäköinen merenneito Iiris ja saari nimeltä Kari.

No niin. "Oliver ja meriperuukit" on kaikessa älyvapaudessaan ihan vekkuli seikkailu, jolle Sarah McIntyren ilmeikäs kuvitus antaa tarinalle mukavasti lisäpotkua. Eihän tämä nyt ole yhtä hyvä kuin Kävelevät koneet tai Buster Bayliss -sarja, mutta kelpo lastenromaani nyt kuitenkin! 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.

Mortal Engines

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.

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. 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. 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 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. We read together everyday and then again at bedtime. She started reading Oliver and the Seawigs during her afternoon reading time. She read longer than I require her to...she didn't want to stop! YAY! When bedtime came that night, she read...Oliver and the Seawigs and finished it. This might not seem like a big deal to us, or even compared to another child's abilities. But watching her struggle during the past school year and seeing her self esteem slip a little more each day was excruciating. Then to see her get excited over a book was thrilling. And even more...she finished it in a day! We had an impromptu party with popcorn and the works to celebrate. 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.'" 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. Review Copy Courtesy of Random House for Young Readers (THANK YOU!!!). Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof.

But the bare bones of the story hardly do justice to the experience of reading this book. Its appeal lies in its details, which show an irrepressible imagination, much like that of a wide-eyed child explorer who can't help looking at the world and wondering "what if … ?" The Rambling Isles are a fabulous creation, and while the concept strongly recalls the ambulant cities of Mortal Engines, it's played in a lighter key here. Comedy, puns and wordplay are threaded through the story, as when Oliver names the Rambling Isle "Cliff".

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." 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.) 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. 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.