Mr. Penguin and the Catastrophic Cruise

by Alex T. Smith

Overview

When Mr. Penguin and Colin board a glitzy cruise ship, they quickly discover the boat is bound for dubious straits. From Alex T. Smith’s hilarious middle grade series!

“Gloriously silly…. Ridiculously charming.” —Kirkus Reviews

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.

This third installment in the wacky, page-turning series from Alex T. Smith (Claude) is sure to thrill young readers looking for a good adventure and major laughs. Black and white illustrations throughout. Available in eBook.

Also by Alex T. Smith:
Mr. Penguin and the Lost Treasure
Mr. Penguin and the Fortress of Secrets

Claude at the Beach
Claude on the Big Screen
Claude at the Circus
Claude in the Country
Claude in the City
Claude on the Slopes
Claude in the Spotlight

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682632130
Publisher:	Peachtree Publishing Company
Publication date:	10/01/2020
Series:	Mr. Penguin Series , #3
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	343,617
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Alex T. Smith briefly considered careers in space travel, cookery, and being a rabbit before finally deciding 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. He is also the author-illustrator of the Claude series.

Alex T. Smith briefly considered careers in space travel, cookery, and being a rabbit before finally deciding 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. He is also the author-illustrator of the Claude series.

Editorial Reviews

2020-08-04
Feathered fussbudget Mr. Penguin and friends return in a third middle-grade adventure, tossing every nautical trope into a gleeful omnishambles.

The celebrated Mr. Penguin has embarked upon a much-anticipated (and, he hopes, very nonadventurous) luxury cruise with his devoted chums Colin, a kung fu–fighting spider; Edith Hedge, a usefully equipped human; and Gordon, a very peculiar pigeon. Shenanigans inevitably ensue, and soon the quartet are up to their eyeballs in coded messages, possible pirates, steampunk mechanisms, and pantoworthy disguises—not to mention a mysterious island, a sea monster, a trench-coated secret agent, and red herrings galore. It’s all gloriously silly, as the (extremely British) humor runs the gamut from groan-inducing puns to subtle meta-textual drollery; but the twisty roller coaster of a plot doesn’t lack for genuine suspense. The pear-shaped Mr. Penguin—prone to panic and a fish-finger sandwich aficionado—is a delightful protagonist, and each of his companions (yes, even Gordon!) gets an opportunity to save the day. The over-the-top cast is cheerfully varied, with several human characters of color. The copious black, white, and orange illustrations reminiscent of Quentin Blake lend the story a daffy verve, and the short chapters with cliffhanger endings make for a perfect read-aloud. Readers need not be familiar with earlier volumes to appreciate this one.

Ridiculously charming. (Adventure. 6-11)

Kirkus Reviews

Gloriously silly…illustrations reminiscent of Quentin Blake lend the story a daffy verve, and the short chapters with cliffhanger endings make for a perfect read-aloud…. Ridiculously charming.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Read More