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: second book
Blurb:
*SPOILER ALERT: contains SPOILERS for MR TIGER, BETSY, AND THE BLUE MOON*
The daughter of a mermaid and an ice cream maker, a mysterious talking tiger, and a search for a sea dragon’s magical underwater orchard. In a magical world of well-dressed animals, talking toads, and bossy princesses, there’s a wicked pirate in search of golden apples.
A rare egg has gone missing and a very unhappy sea dragon wants it back. It’s time for Mr. Tiger, Betsy, and the Gongalongs to set sail on their second adventure.
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
MR TIGER, BETSY, AND THE SEA DRAGON returns to a quirky world of fairy-tale-esque adventures. This time there are pirates and dragons!
This is a book that highlights the heroism of ordinary people, through new character Septimus, who’s kidnapped and brought aboard the pirate ship. He was a really nice addition to the cast, someone who is very ordinary but has a big heart and has courage.
I appreciated that this book explained how the story world fit with ours, setting this world as “off the map” – linked to our world but more magical! It’s a fun detail that reinforces the quirky nature of it, the oddity of its location that fits into the vibes of it all.
We get to spend time with the mermaids in this book! Having introduced that they exist through Betsy’s mum, they weren’t that present in MR TIGER, BETSY, AND THE BLUE MOON. However, this time around we do get to see a bit more of them as well as understanding some of their culture. I am hoping we get to see even more in the next book!
Nick Maland is back with the illustrations. I really loved the double page spreads here and how they help tell the story. For instance, there’s one that’s split into three panels that shows what happens to the pirate ship in a storm, letting the words take a rest while the illustration shows off the tale. The words also interact with the illustrations more. For example, there’s a bit at the end where it’s like “I’ll just show you” and then has an image of the scene.
Read my reviews of other books by Sally Gardner:
Middle Grade:
Mr Tiger and Betsy (this series):
Standalones:
Adult:
Standalones:
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 