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...

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." 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). 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. 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.

Vern and Lettuce

My daughter is having trouble with the way reading is taught at her school. One method is taught there, while I taught her how to read before she started school using another method. This has caused a lot of confusion and some heavy self esteem issues for her. She doesn't feel "as smart" as the other kids because of her reading. 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. 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... 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. 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.

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! 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.