Review: Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre

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 . . . 

Oliver Crisp's life differs from that of the majority of kids of his age in that instead of living in a house and attending school, he has accompanied his explorer parents on their adventures around the world. However, Mr and Mrs Crisp have come to the conclusion that they have been everywhere and seen everything and there simply isn't anywhere left to explore and so with heavy hearts they set off back to their house in Deepwater Bay, a house that they have hardly ever lived in. Oliver, on the other hand, is more excited than he has been for a long time - he longs to live a normal life, in a proper family house, and attend a proper school.

However, as their ramshackle house comes into view the trio are surprised to find that Deepwater Bay has gained a number of islands during their absence, and naturally the Crisp parents just have to head out in their little dinghy to explore them. When some time goes past and they haven't returned Oliver ventures out to discover that all but one of the islands have disappeared, along with his parents, and so begins a thrilling and hilarious search and rescue mission that sees Oliver meeting islands that travel, a mermaid in desperate need of an optician, a talking albatross, sea monkeys and a particularly mean villain called Stacey de Lacey.

This is one of the most enjoyable and charming books that I have read so far this year, and it shows just how talented and versatile a writer Philip Reeve is. Reading Oliver and the Seawigs it is hard to believe that this is the product of the same imagination that brought us the brilliant Mortal Engines series with its roaming, cannibalistic cities, although on reflection I guess the concept of islands that travel isn't a million miles away from this. It really is a shame that YA books tend to hog so much of the book review spotlight, as Oliver and the Seawigs is the perfect book for 7+ aged readers deserves to be acclaimed about by newspaper critics and book bloggers alike. 

Reeve's storytelling is intelligent and witty, with clever word play, crazy happenings and a sense that you can never really guess what is going to happen next. However, his contribution is only 50% of what makes this book as magical as it is, with the other half of magic being provided by the super talented illustrator, Sarah McIntyre. Sarah's quirky and zany illustrations complement Reeve's words so perfectly. They are like cream to Reeve's strawberries. The Ginger Rogers to his Fred Astaire. The Cannon to his Ball... I think you get my drift :-)

I was very fortunate to be able to attend the launch of Oliver and the Seawigs last week (on the Golden Hinde, I kid you not), and it was wonderful to finally get to meet Philip as I have been a fan of his ever since I first read Mortal Engines. I have known for some time thanks to the magic of the interweb that Philip and Sarah have developed a close friendship, and at the Seawigs launch party it was very evident that their personalities are as perfectly matched as Sarah’s illustrations are to Philip’s words. Given that there is at least one more Seawigs style book planned (and hopefully many more after that) I would not be surprised if in years to come people will talk about the McIntyre/Reeve partnership in the same way that they talk about the Dahl/Blake pairing, and the two will become inextricably linked.

This book is perfect for young readers, and just as perfect for parents to read to even younger children as a bedtime story. It is the kind of book that I will be buying as presents for as many children as I can, especially as OUP have produced such a gorgeous looking hardcover edition. It is also the kind of book that I expect to become many future adult's fondly remembered childhood read, with well-read and much-loved copies sitting on bookshelves in homes for many years to come.

My thanks go to Liz Scott and the lovely people at OUP for sending me a copy of Oliver and the Seawigs, and for inviting me to the fab launch party last week. Oliver and the Seawigs will be available to buy in September.

Philip and Sarah at the launch party, Sarah wearing her truly amazing seawig

Fact: Comics Are Brilliant!

Illustration by Sarah McIntyre

I'm a couple of days behind with this as it has been a busy few days at school, but this week saw a very sad occasion - -the final print edition of The Dandy. Now I have always been more of a Beano fan, but the loss of this great British comic is still something that crushed my heart a little. No longer will generations of kids be able to roll a copy of The Dandy up and read it at break time in the school playground. And bedroom mine fields of scattered copies will soon be a thing of the past.

However, the casual and uneducated observer may now be thinking that comics are dead in Britain, and they  couldn't be more wrong. Two days ago I read two outstanding online articles about British comics: one by the wonderful David Fickling, writing in The Telegraph, and the other by the uber-talented illustrator and comic artist, Sarah McIntyre. Both were writing passionately about The Phoenix, the awesome weekly comic that will be celebrating its first birthday in the New Year, and anyone who has had the fortune and pleasure to read an edition of The Phoenix will find themselves nodding and smiling in agreement as they read these two articles. Please take the time to click the following links, they are well worth your time:

David's article can be found here.

Sarah's article can be found on her blog here.

There is no guaranteed method of getting reluctant kids reading for enjoyment, but comics are as close as you are ever going to get to a sure fire way. On the day these articles were published I followed a brief Twitter conversation calling for The Phoenix subscriptions to be given to all UK primary schools. Such a fantastic idea, but I would guess it would need some serious financial backing from somewhere. Sadly, I'm not sure Mr Gove would agree as I very much doubt comics were approved reading material when he was at school.

Review: Morris the Mankiest Monster by Giles Andreae and Sarah McIntyre

Giles Andreae and Sarah McIntyre would like you to meet Morris, the world’s stinkiest picture book hero… It’s years since he last changed his t-shirt It’s crusty and crawling with ants His shoes are all slurpy and squelchy inside And potatoes grow out of his pants.

Over the last few months I have had several emails from parents asking why I don't review many books for younger boys, and more specifically picture books. I guess the main reason is that as a secondary school teacher my main focus has always been the 11+ age range, and we don't really have many picture books in our house, although I still have fond and vivid memories of some of the picture books that I read (or had read to me) as a child. And so I have decided to rectify this on the run up to Christmas, and what a book to start with.

Morris the Mankiest Monster is possibly the most disgusting children's picture book ever and a very worthy successor to the filthy crown that for many years has been worn by Raymond Briggs and his Fungus the Bogeyman. How's this for a great set of opening lines:

"Morris the Mankiest Monster

Lives in a house made of dung

It only smells stinky enough when it's damp

So he keeps the walls wet with his tongue".

And that's one of the more pleasant quatrains in this gloriously revolting book, a more disgusting example being:
 

"His cheeks are encrusted with pustules

Which dribble like hot melted cheese

Warm yellow wax oozes out of his ears

And his eyebrows are riddled with fleas".

Revolting, yes? Well now imagine the illustrations that go with it and you will have a very good idea of what this book is like - Sarah McIntyre certainly does not hold back with her illustrations of Giles Andreae's hilarious rhyming words. Just look at the cover image above - I'm not sure I will ever be able to eat stringy cheese again! Sarah's illustrations are all beautifully drawn, with an incredible attention to detail that will have children poring lovingly over the pages looking for all the nastiest little creatures that live in Morris's house, and more disgustingly on his body. If there was ever a book that should come with a guarantee that it will be loved by children it is this one, and their parents will love it as well.

Experts claim that one of the best ways to get children interested in books at an early age is for their parents to read to them. For boys, this is even more important, and especially if that parent or carer is male. However, to many parents reading to their kids can be seen as something of a chore, especially after a long day at work, but reading books like Morris the Mankiest Monster could never be classified as a chore - it is just so much fun.

Morris the Mankiest Monster is available to buy right now, and my thanks go to the generous people at Picture Corgi for sending me a copy. 

Review: Vern and Lettuce by Sarah McIntyre

Welcome to Pickle Rye, home of best friends Lettuce the rabbit and Vern the sheep. Join them for baking, birthdays, bunny-sitting and a quest for fame in the big city! Vern and Lettuce reach for the stars, but danger is lurking just beneath their feet...


Earlier this year I reviewed Good Dog, Bad Dog and MeZolith, the first two books released under the DFC Library banner. Around the same time the same publisher also released The Spider Moon, a stunningly illustrated book, but with a story that I felt was more appropriate for girls so I did not post a review. Now the DFC Library is back, with three new releases and I have been incredibly fortunate to have received these from the ever generous Lauren at David Fickling Books. I intend to review all of these over the next week or so, but I thought I would kick off with this little beauty - Vern and Lettuce.


Vern and Lettuce is more comic book than graphic novel, but I certainly do not mean this in any negative way. As with its predecessors it is packaged in a glorious hardcover, which is as vividly coloured as all of the pages within. The reason I say it is more like a comic book than the graphic novels I usually read is the way that the early pages of the book are short one-page vignettes; I was not a reader of the DFC in its original format but I imagine these stories are reproduced in the book just as they were in the original comic. This format works very well as it introduces the characters and their lives to the reader in brief, laugh-out-loud short stories before taking them off on an adventure story arc that spans the last two thirds of the book.


And so for some introductions: firstly there is Vern the sheep. Vern lives in a  tower block in the South London suburb of Pickle Rye, where he works tirelessly  as a groundskeeper at Pickle Rye Park, desperately trying to keep the grass free from some rather persistent moles. Lettuce is a rabbit living in the apartment above Vern's, with a rather large litter of playful  bunnies. As we progress through the book we are introduced to a number of supporting characters who come and go, including an elderly Granny Goat who recycles paper by chewing it; a host of different mole characters; and Gerard, a pigeon with a devious plan.


If you're sat there reading this and thinking that this sounds quite different from the graphic novels I have reviewed in the past then you would be very right, and this isn't the kind of book I would have picked up in a book store. And this is why I feel I am so fortunate to have been sent a copy by the publisher as my day was made so much the better for having read the comic adventures of Vern and Lettuce. The illustrations with their pastel colour tones have a beautiful simplicity to them, yet a closer look hows just how much each panel has been lovingly detailed. And unlike some books in this genre, the appeal of this book is not purely aesthetic as Sarah McIntyre also possesses a great deal of skill with words; her chuckle-inducing writing fits the images perfectly and makes this a book that will put a smile on the face of all its readers, from young children to grumpy old men and women.