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: third book
Blurb:
*SPOILER ALERT: contains SPOILERS for MR TIGER, BETSY, AND THE BLUE MOON and MR TIGER, BETSY, AND THE SEA DRAGON*
Crumble cakes! When Betsy joins Myrtle the mermaid in her underwater world, she discovers there may be monsters . . . shipwrecks, lost treasure and secret cities.
A seapig’s prize seahorse, Pudding Pie, has been stolen by a cantankerous giant octopus and Betsy and Mr Tiger must go to the rescue in their new submarine. But what happens when a tiger’s whiskers and tail are simply too long to squeeze into forgotten dark caverns where even the moon cannot shine, and Betsy has to take the final steps of the adventure on her own?
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
MR TIGER, BETSY, AND THE GOLDEN SEAHORSE is the final, charming tale in this quirky series.
I said in my review of MR TIGER, BETSY, AND THE SEA DRAGON that I liked seeing a glimpse of the mermaids’ world but wanted more – and I got it! Betsy goes to live with her mum under the sea for a section of this book, letting us see their dining habits and entertainment. I loved it!
The lore of this book is that the sea creatures drawn onto historic maps as decoration or “we don’t know what’s here, so let’s slap in a monster” are real – they slip off the maps and into this space beyond maps. It’s such a fun idea! I love old maps and their detailings so this made me grin a lot.
MR TIGER, BETSY, AND THE GOLDEN SEAHORSE is the book with the most split-up action of the series, the story swapping between plot lines. There’s Besty’s dad trying to get his house made mermaid friendly at the same time that Betsy is in the ocean trying to find a missing seahorse. It helped the book feel fresh and different to have that spread out tale.
This book is printed in a blue ink, which apparently can help some dyslexic readers. I love that there’s been such attention to detail in making this series accessible! Plus it really helps the illustrations feel underwater with all that blue! Nick Maland’s wonderful illustrations are back, bringing the underwater mermaid world to life.
Read my reviews of other books by Sally Gardner:
Middle Grade:
Mr Tiger and Betsy (this series):
Standalones:
Adult:
Standalones:
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 