I won a copy from the publisher without expectation of a review. It has not affected my opinions.
Genre: Fantasy Age Range: MG Star Rating: 4 stars Series: first book
Blurb:
When Betsy K. Glory, the daughter of a mermaid and an ice-cream maker, meets the mysterious Mr Tiger they have a giant challenge: a moon to turn blue, berries to collect and wishable-delicious ice-cream to create. The sort that makes wishes come true.
With Mr Tiger and his troupe of Gonalong circus acrobats, a toad under a spell, a lonely giant, and Mum and Dad, Betsy sets off on her quest.
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
MR TIGER, BETSY, AND THE BLUE MOON is the start of a dyslexic-friendly book with an off-kilter fairy tale feel to it.
It is a charmingly quirky world, with its own logic that it runs with throughout. It has a princess turned into a frog and a quest to turn her back into a person, a evil sister who’s stolen the throne, and a very timid giant. All these classic feeling fairy tale elements are blended together into a delightfully bizarre tale.
The book is fully illustrated by Nick Maland with small scale images to full page spreads throughout. I really liked his style. As you might be able to see from the cover, the illustration style is one of line drawing with crosshatching rather than block shades of grey. It feels very old-time-y to me, which I loved. It felt like it fit the whimsical, slightly off-kilter fairy tale vibe of the book well. It makes this book as much about the visual experience as it does about the words themselves.
It is told from an omniscient narrator, but still manages to make Mr Tiger very mysterious, not revealing his plan despite the narrator’s knowledge of all things. Betsy is a curious, kind character, and I loved that her parents came along for the trip. They are responsible, insisting on sensible safety precautions, but aren’t controlling. It was so nice to see supportive but responsible parenting!
The series is dyslexic friendly, printed in a special font that’s designed to make it easier to read. There’s also been great care with the words. Where an off-kilter tale like this might make up all sorts of words that are similar but not quite English as we know it, this book (save for the Gonalongs) uses entirely real words, which can be easier to read. I love finding books like this that make reading more accessible.
Read my reviews of other books by Sally Gardner:
Middle Grade:
Mr Tiger and Betsy (this series):
Standalones:
Adult:
Standalones:
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 