Oliver and the Seawigs is an utterly immersive middle-grade adventure. It reads as a novel, divided into normal-length chapters, but it's enhanced by black, white, and blue illustrations, from small inset illustrations to background images and full two-page spreads. The text and illustrations don't just coexist; they complement each other and are woven together in creative layouts. (On one page, the text zigzags down the white tunnels of a cave; other pages feature speech bubbles.) The result is a book with the text content of a middle-grade novel and the visual appeal of a great picture book. Experienced and reluctant readers alike will enjoy delving into this fun story.

Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley. ( )

children's illustrated chapter book (grades 2 and up, or younger as a read-aloud)
fun, action packed story about a trio of explorers (human Oliver, mermaid Iris, and wandering island "Cliff"). I thought the illustrations were what really shone here and will be sure to seek out more work from graphic illustrator Sarah McIntyre. ( )

Cute! I didn't think it was as good as [b:Pugs of the Frozen North|25197548|Pugs of the Frozen North|Philip Reeve|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427061550s/25197548.jpg|44908620] but it was still lovely. I really liked the wandering islands and their seawigs. ( )

This was an interesting story for young readers. I didn't find the characters overly interesting. The story plot reminded me a another book I had read in this genre. ( )

While this cannot fully compare to Pugs of the North, it is a good read. I found the plot to be great for kids, but some scenes a bit likely to end you in a long explanation. Human sacrifice, sea monkeys, and the talk of animal skeletons can get iffy with small kids listening before bed. It's not descriptive of these things, but we do get to hear one of the islands has been basically soaking up blood and maybe that's why it took humans. I'd recommend this for parents who can explain things without getting mad at the book for touching on such subjects you don't see coming.

Highly recommend it for preteens to teens though. ( )

A fun romp, but not much more than that. Beautifully written. ( )

A superb collaboration between Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre. It is a fantastic, quirky and very funny story for the newly confident reader. I really loved the way that imagination is allowed to run riot. Many thanks to the publisher for an advance copy. ( )

An adorable, original adventure story, Oliver and the Seawigs is the refreshing story of Oliver gathering and making friends with a number of peculiarly odd sea creatures. He meets a roving albatross named Mr. Culpeper, a myopic mermaid named Iris, and an absolutely ordinary island which (whom?) Oliver calls Cliff. Cliff, it seems that was so non-descript that passing sailors never bothered to name him, despite the posted sign warning of danger.

Although his ultimate purpose is to look for his parents, Oliver decides to help his new friend Cliff win The Night of the Seawigs contest. Reminiscent of Odysseus conquering his hero’s quest, Oliver braves the insults of sarcastic seaweed and swarming sea monkeys. Aided by the help of new associates, brave and bold Oliver stands up against evils and adversaries to discover that even the weak can be truly strong and true friends make life’s quest worth it all in the long run.


http://www.amazon.com/Oliver-Seawigs-Not-So-Impossible-Tales-Philip-ebook/produc... ( )

See full review @ The Indigo Quill

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oliver Crisp has lived quite an adventurous life at a very young age. His parents are explorers, and they have decided that it's time to settle down. However, a group of mysterious islands have made their way into the body of water that surrounds their home, and Oliver's parents must explore them right away! Suddenly, Oliver's parents go missing...and so do the islands! In this entertaining tale, Reeve and McIntyre introduce the perfect hybrid between graphic novel and middle-grade chapter book that will charm and amuse the whole family!

When I first received this book, I had no idea what a "seawig" was. I thought it was some kind of sea creature that the author had made up. I was most pleasantly surprised when I discovered what a "seawig" was just that! A wig...made from the sea! Add a nearsighted mermaid, some rudely sarcastic seaweed, and enough sea monkeys to fill a sea, and you have Oliver and the Seawigs.

This book is so many levels of cool that I ran out and bought myself a copy! This is the perfect book for the child transitioning from picture books to chapter books. They will enjoy illustrations on almost every page, and the lines are spaced out enough that they will breeze through the book in no time. The entire layout and design is esthetically pleasing and easy for young eyes to look at. It reminded me a lot of Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck. The storyline and artwork is embellished with levels of creativity that will keep the reader turning pages with anticipation.

I. love. this. book. I cannot stress how much I love this book. I've already recommended it to several people. I'm sure that it's release here in the US will vie for several awards (deservingly so!). ( )

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"‘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.'"

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.

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.

The book is short, so I don't need to say much more about the plot except that it is perfectly paced. The illustrations are really amazing. It's not often that I see a book with illustrations as riveting as the actual story. I found myself admiring them for several moments and having to force myself to go back to read and stop giggling over the cute pictures. It helps that the story includes wonderful characters to see drawn: such as a chubby mermaid who is nearsighted, little monkeys, sarcastic sea (made up of sarcastic comment-throwing seaweed) and islands that talk and move. What are sea-wigs, you might wonder? Well, they're the "wigs" these roving islands create for themselves by piling junk on their shores. They're made up of numerous things...wrecked ships, animals, plants, chests of treasure, etc. Creative, eh?

I will definitely be purchasing this book for my niece and nephew. Heck, I will probably end up getting myself a copy too just to see it on my shelf. The thought of being able to open up and see that chubby mermaid makes me very, very happy. ( )

Der 10jährige Oliver ist überglücklich: Endlich keine Abenteuer mehr! Denn seine Eltern sind Entdecker und so reist er mit ihnen schon sein ganzes Leben durch die Welt, von einer Entdeckung zur nächsten. Doch langsam hat er genug davon, denn er hätte gerne ein eigenes Zimmer, Freunde und (kaum zu glauben) er möchte endlich in die Schule gehen. Da seine Eltern nun alles kennen, beschließen sie schweren Herzens heimzufahren in ihr Haus direkt am Meer. Aber kaum angekommen, entdecken sie eine Vielzahl neuer Inseln im Meer und beschließen, erst mal eine kurze Entdeckungstour zu unternehmen. Oliver räumt derweil sein neues Zimmer ein bis er feststellt, dass es Abend geworden ist und seine Eltern noch nicht zurückgekommen sind - nur das Schlauchboot liegt am Strand. So macht Oliver sich auf die Suche...
Es ist ein unglaubliches Abenteuer das Oliver da erlebt, eine kurzsichtige Wassernixe und ein sprechender Diomedea exulans (Wanderalbatros) sind da noch die kleinsten Überraschungen. Begleitet wird die Geschichte von den Zeichnungen Sarah McIntyres, die alleine schon die Entdeckung wert sind. Es ist ein eher comichafter Stil in schwarz-weiß-grau-blau Tönen, der die Figuren mit großen Augen zum Leben erweckt. Auch wenn das Titelbild eher plakativ wirkt - die Bilder im Buch sind voller Einzelheiten und Details, die das Buch auch beim wiederholten Lesen nicht langweilig werden lassen.
Ein tolles Abenteuerbuch für Kinder ab ca. 8 Jahren - und für die Großen natürlich auch :-) ( )

Oliver Crisp. The new name in Super-guys. This kid totally rocks. He finally is getting a real home and before he even gets settled down he ends up having to find his wild exploration crazed 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.)


He also has help from a grumpy albatross and a wandering island named Cliff.
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 goes up against a Sarcastic Sea
Sailors fear it because the weeds keep making horrid, hurtful comments about them.
A band of monkeys

And a Sea Captain named Stacey deLacy (yes it's a girls name)

All in all I can't wait for this book to become available to purchase. My kid is getting a copy.

i>I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Oliver and his parents are returning to their seaside home after exploring every inch of the globe. Oliver is very excited to finally stay in one place, but his parents are a disappointed that there will not be anything else for them to explore. After driving up to their home Oliver's parents see small islands in the bay that have never been there before and decide to take the raft out to explore, Oliver decides to stay at the house and get settled in. When his parents don't come home Oliver finds that the all but one of the islands are no longer in the bay. Oliver takes his raft out to the island and meets a walking islands and learns about the seawig contest.. With his new friend Oliver sets out to find his parents and return them home.

This was a fun book to ready, I really enjoyed how Oliver was able to work through all the different obstacles thrown at him in his adventure. The illustrations were fun and entertaining. The characters were well developed and easy to relate to. ( )

This is a fun volume suitable for middle readers, who will enjoy the details of the illustrations, as well as the misfit band of main characters. A frolicking tale of friendship and adventure, it makes for a good read-aloud or independent reader. ( )

Ten year old Oliver Crisp travels with his parents who are explorers. When they decide to explore some islands that sudden appear and then disappear themselves, Oliver takes it upon himself to search for them. He encounters and befriends a mermaid, albatross and many other fun and silly things.

This story will be a delight for those whom it is written for (7-10 year olds), but also enjoyable for the whole family. The artwork adds much to the book. It is not too cartoonish and supplements the story. The characters are a fun bunch. Very entertaining indeed! ( )

This review and others posted over at my blog

Blurb from the publisher: When Oliver's explorer parents go missing, he sets sail on a rescue mission with some new, unexpected friends: a grumpy albatross, a nearsighted mermaid . . . even a living island! But the high seas are even more exciting, unusual, and full of mischief than Oliver could have imagined. Can he and his crew spar with sarcastic seaweed, outrun an army of sea monkeys, win a fabulous maritime fashion contest, and defeat a wicked sea-captain in time to save Mom and Dad?

I was pre-approved for this ARC via Netgalley. I actually own a couple of books by Reeve, but sadly I haven't read them yet. At any rate, Oliver and the Seawigs was simply adorable! I'm always interested in checking out children's and middle grade fiction and I instantly fell in love with McIntyre's illustrations. The characters have big, beautiful eyes and I especially loved Iris the mermaid. The book (at least my copy of the ARC) is just done in black, white and grey-blue and this simple mix really highlighted the details in McIntyre's illustrations. I especially loved the small details, like little crabs making faces throughout the pages, or the odds and ends tangled in Iris's hair.

The book itself was simple, but fun. It's recommended for ages 7-10 and is certainly something I could see myself reading to my little brother (who is 6). Oliver is curious and brave - an excellent little role model. Reeve has a whimsical way of writing, but he also throws in some bigger words and ideas, such as having an albatross for one of the main characters, and also giving children tips on what sarcasm is and how to avoid it. The main theme of the story is to stand up for what you believe in and support your friends, even if that's not the popular thing to do. At under 200 pages this could easily be something to tackle over a night or two before bed. This would make a great gift for any children interested in a little high-seas adventure, or for the would-be explorers out there. ( )

“Oliver and the Seawigs” by Philip Reeve and illustrated by Sarah McIntyre, is one of those delightful children’s books I’m always hoping to run across. With a wonderful cast of characters and perfect artwork to match, this is one book you won’t want to miss. ( )

4.25 Stars
An adorable story with some wonderful and imaginative illustrations. The artwork reminded me of Dr. Seuss books. The book is an adventure story filled with an explorer family, seamonkeys, a brazen mermaid, and walking islands. Quirky and fun. Best for 8-12 year-olds, but recommended to all.

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I received this book from the publishers at Netgalley!

We follow Oliver who is a little boy and a child of explorers. His whole life at 10 years old has been spent exploring the world, with his parents, who want to do nothing more than discover hidden islands and features of the world. Oliver is sick of it though and all he wants is to settle in a nice home, since he's never had an actual house to live in. After moving into their first home, Oliver's parents quickly set off to go exploring the islands around their house off of the beach. After his parents go missing, Oliver goes off to find them. He meets a seabird named Mr. Culpepper who can talk and leads him to an island with a sweet mermaid named Iris. Iris is not the most popular of mermaids in her class who often gets teased for her near-sightedness and her bad singing skills so she's happy to make a friend in Oliver. From there, they all set out exploring to find Oliver's parents and they find themselves on a grand adventure. They find an island that is known for danger and on that island is a teenager named Stacey, and Stacey is not a girl's name but Stacey himself is a bad seed and he has captured Oliver's parents and plans to be in control of all of the islands and refuses to return Oliver's parents, Mr. and Mr. Crisp. Stacey discovers sea monkeys hidden in the weeds and he pops them all out and makes himself their leader. They are mischievous and fun, and try to get in the way of Oliver and Iris' work of taking back his parents. I found this book a fast and fun read. The illustrations were AWESOME, I loved them very much. I liked that the sea monkeys were actually monkeys and I thought the illustrations really made this book something special. I would buy this book for a young child. ( )

I loved this book! Plus I got to meet the illustrator and she showed me how to draw the monkey in the book. ( )