Oliver and the Seawigs

LoveReading4Kids Says

Winner of the UKLA Award 2015 in the 7 - 11 years category.

Award-winning Philip Reeve spins a hugely original yarn encompassing moving islands, a short sighted mermaid, a stuck-up boy by the name of Stacey de Lacey and his private army of cheeky, smelly green sea monkeys and a charming hero Oliver whose search for his parents brings him into contact with all of the above. Sarah McIntyre’s ebullient illustrations capture the quirky nature of this adventure perfectly.

A Piece of Passion from Clare Whitston, Editor, Oxford University Press

I love this book! Created by two inspirational voices in the Children’s book world, Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre (pictured right), it is simply a joy to read. Full of humour and eccentricity – ‘Oliver and the Seawigs’ is beautifully written – read it out loud to revel in the language which flows off the page. The illustrations are stunning too – you could happily get lost for hours in one Sarah’s pictures – of underwater worlds and amazing creatures.

The book is a great adventure story about a boy called Oliver who is searching for his missing parents. An adventure story, with AWESOME seawigs. ‘But what’s a seawig?’ I hear you cry. Well, it’s a wig made up of things found in the sea. Rambling Isles collect old shipwrecks and the odd Narwhal to construct their wigs and then have a competition to judge whose is best – naturally. There’s also a slightly overweight, short-sighted mermaid with a terrible singing voice. Her name is Iris and she’s the best friend you could wish for. Then there’s a little island called Cliff with self-esteem issues. What he needs is a really good seawig to cheer him up but also friends like Iris and Oliver. Oh, and there’s also a grumpy Albatross called Mr. Culpeper (what good is an adventure without a grumpy old albatross along for the ride?) And that’s not even all. I still haven’t told you about the Sea Monkeys. They are my favourite characters in a children’s book, possibly ever. But not everyone finds them as easy to love as I do, illustrated by the following conversation that Jo (the designer on the book) and I have had on many occasions: Me: ‘EEP! I really, really want a Sea Monkey!’ Jo: ‘Are you insane? Sea Monkeys are pesky, greasy little critters. And you can’t have just one Sea Monkey anyway. You’ll have an army before you know it and then they’ll destroy you.’ Me: ‘Ooooh, an army of Sea Monkeys . . .’

Not only will this book be a favourite of mine for many years to come, it has also changed the way I look at flotsam and jetsam washed up on the beach (great seawig potential) and seaweed fronds, ripe for popping (my chance for a Sea Monkey army of my very own). Please let me know what you think about this book by contacting me on twitter (@CWhitston) or you can send your comments direct to our Children’s Books team (@oupchildrens).

In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for Oliver And The Seawigs a small number of children were lucky enough to be invited to review this title. Here's a taster....'An absolutely brilliant adventure.The myriad of weird and wonderful creatures were really funny and the illustrations fitted them perfectly. I tore through this in one sitting. Fantastic!.'

Scroll down to read more reviews...

LoveReading4Kids

Find This Book In