SYNOPSIS: Mr. Penguin and his Adventuring gang board a luxury cruise ship for some much-needed rest and a little entertainment. With Colin, his kung fu spider sidekick, preparing to perform with the Ladies Choir and fish finger sandwiches available twenty-four hours a day, Mr. Penguin isn’t even bothered that he can’t swim and is deeply afraid of water.

But when a series of odd events infiltrates a façade of glamorous parties filled with a who’s who of film stars and politicians, Mr. Penguin can’t help but feel that something shifty is happening on board. And when he befriends a young stowaway with a mystery of her own to solve, he soon finds that Adventures are lying in wait after all.

MY TAKE: Mr. Penguin is back for a third adventure and this one might be the most entertaining of them all. Previously I reviewed MR. PENGUIN AND THE LOST TREASURE and MR. PENGUIN AND THE FORTRESS OF SECRETS.

There couldn’t be a better setting than a luxury cruise ship on its inaugural voyage for this new tale. The fun, whimsical cartoon like drawings are spaced nicely within the text and readers will smile at many of the caricatures. The story is a huge mystery that unravels in quick fashion. There are no slow parts to be had here as surprises along with what Mr. Penguin is going to eat next keep the story light and fun.

No worries if you haven’t had the opportunity to read the first two before jumping overboard to this one—it holds up fine on its own. Perfect for reluctant readers and the rest of us who need a break from the more serious tone of MG books these days.

All Aboard!

Latch onto a free series activity kit

Read an Excerpt here

The book is out this week and you can order your copy here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR

After briefly considering careers in space travel, cookery and being a rabbit, Alex T. Smith finally decided to become an illustrator. He graduated from Coventry University with a degree in Illustration and won second place in the Macmillan Prize for Children’s Illustration. Alex lives in England. You can visit his website here.

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