This was a fun read, and the cover gave me exactly what I was looking for, so I had no unpleasant surprises.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. This was a fun, quirky book with a lot of running jokes. While it can be read as a standalone I probably would have enjoyed it more if I’d already read the first book in the series.

My son and I loved reading The Splendid Baron Submarine. It has the feel of A thousand leagues under the sea meets with Atlantis! Definitely filled with fun, dangers, and adventure. Any kid would love this book and adults too!

This is the second book in the series but can be read without reading the first. Great book for 3rd through 7th grades aged children. Many zany adventures will keep them hooked.

This is the second book in a series, and just like the first one, it is full of fun and weird stuff courtesy of the Barons and the rest of the characters. I've read the first book and it helps me to appreciate the author's humor and understand the story better. Because of it, I am more prepared for the quirky characters and bizarre storyline and setting. W.B. is the narrator of the story and he did a good job in keeping my interest. I also believe that middle-graders will easily relate to W.B. and find his adventure a lot of fun as it will surely tickle their imagination. Plus there are some lessons to be learned, too. This fast-paced crazy-filled adventure will surely appeal to younger readers but I'm sure there'll be adults who'll find this kind of story entertaining, too.

After reading and thoroughly enjoy the previous novel, I had no idea that there were going to be any other books following it. So I’m sure you can imagine just how excited I was when this randomly showed up on my doorstep one day. And this new installment did not disappoint—it was equally as hilarious and entertaining as the first Baron adventure. In fact, this plotline is my favorite of the two. Just like the first one, this story is a madcap adventure with the significance of family, friendship, and love at its core.

I fell even more in love with the characters Bower has created for these stories. It is so wonderful to see the new dynamic between them—building on that of the first novel. Even with the many misunderstandings that happen between the members of the Baron family throughout the course of the novel, they still remain tightknit and incredibly loving. This creates an appealing warmth in the tone and atmosphere.

In this novel, the Baron family is approached by the Vice President of the United States, who sends them off on a new adventure—this time at the bottom of the ocean. They have been given the task of tracking down a lost pirate treasure, which will be used to help the government repay a national debt.

Traveling in their steam-powered submarine, W.B. and his family go through another overly complicated journey. We follow them as they run into an enormous amount of outlandish obstacles, many involving W.B.’s usual clumsiness and his feud with a rather mischievous little monkey. However, not all is as it seems. Unsavory forces are at work, and maybe the troubles of their nautical excursion are the least of their problems.

While this is obviously not a deep and thought-provoking read and the target audience is fairly young, it is still so much fun. The characters’ wacky antics and escapades will have you laughing out loud. It is absolutely impossible to read these stories without a smile on your face. I will admit, the humor is not for everyone—older readers may not be as captivated by the childlike nature of it. In addition to that, the events of the story are quite random and jumbled, which does not negatively impact the narrative by any means—it is very fitting for the plot. However, this format is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

On the other hand, it is perfect for children—and for some adults, it will entertain the inner child we all have. This is one of those stories that had me wishing it had been around when I was younger. The outlandish nature of the events of the plot is what makes this story so great. One must suspend their disbelief and go along with the far-fetched and preposterous aspects of Bower’s unique version of the past.

The actual text of the novel itself is very easy to fall into and flows extremely well. Bower’s style is unquestionably a style that is appropriately accessible for the intended audience. He does a fantastic job of making the unbelievable believable—an essential part of this narrative. And at no point does it feel like it would be difficult for a child to understand or that it might make them lose interest. This book can be read as a standalone, though I personally feel that reading the series in order works a bit better.

Overall, this novel was equally as entertaining as the previous one, if not even more so. The Splendid Baron Submarine is a fast-paced and universally enjoyable read. Filled with hysterical surprises and humor that is just plain silly, this quirky tale is perfect for people of any age. This is a light and incredibly big-hearted series as a whole, and will undoubtedly pick up your spirits. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a warm and cheerful story or something amusing and wholesome for your child to read.

I was really excited after reading the previous Baron book to read this one and I was not disappointed! A wonderful, imaginative adventure that anyone can enjoy.

I have enjoyed this series and this was a great second book. Another fun adventure with lots to learn and an exciting plot.

I borrowed this book for my 9 year old. Why wouldn't a kid like a book about treasure, adventure, pirates and crazy family? Not to mention they travel in a submarine. Not the Disneyland round a track one, but one they use for adventure. How cool is that?

Book Review
Title: The Splendid Baron Submarine
Author: Eric Bower (Author),‎ Agnieszka Grochalska (Illustrator)
Genre: Science/Nature/Growing up
Rating: DNF
Review: In the opening chapter of The Splendid Baron Submarine we meet Waldo Baron as he gives his summer report to his teacher who makes him wear the dunce cap for lying however, it seems that he just has the most unusual adventures with his parents and their assistant and some others, but no one believes him. We learn exactly what Waldo has done that summer, it all started pretty normally for the Baron estate with reverse gravity and some huge odd henchmen turning up to take Mr. and Mrs. Baron also known as M and P, Rose and Waldo known as W.B. with them, although they learn that the henchmen were most likely sent by the vice president of the United States. M is very level headed and stubborn to balance out P’s air headedness and too trusting nature and W.B. seems to have inherited quite a bit of his parent’s personality although whether this is good or bad remains to be seen.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, the Barons are being recruited for a treasure hunt and their reward is the most treasured diamond in history if they can find it, despite being quite a tense scene the part about W.B. eating decorative rocks that he thought were jelly beans was hilarious. As the family and Rose prepare to travel to the coast, I was enjoying the story but the fact it is set in the 1890’s makes it really difficult to connect to the characters deeper than surface level which actually made them quite forgettable.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel I was frankly quite bored, while I like reading children’s and middle grade novels this one held absolutely no appeal, the characters aren’t interesting and when they do get into trouble I found myself wishing they would get seriously injured. A definite DNF for me it just has nothing going for it.

We all have had a student whose stories are a bit over the top. This is what happens when W.B. tells the story of what he did this summer. It quickly becomes evident that W.B.'s tales are not hyperbole because his life is filled with outrageous adventures. I love this character and look forward to reading the fist book in the collection, as well as any subsequent books the author publishes.

Have you ever written one of those "How I Spent my Summer Vacation" essays? Waldo's essay gets him in trouble with the teacher, who believes he has written fiction rather than a true account of his family's summer. Imagine an adventure that has pirates and ghosts, scientists and amazing inventions, and an underwater treasure hunt. That will put you somewhere in the neighborhood of The Splendid Baron Submarine. Waldo Baron, W.B. to his family, narrates the story of his family and their incredible summer vacation. Waldo has two scientists for parents, and they are asked by the Vice-President of the United States to recover a lost pirate treasure and save the country from bankruptcy. Although he has the least scientific brain in the world, W.B. is swept along as his parents and their assistant head off to the Pacific.

Filled with eccentric characters, evil monkeys, decorative jelly beans, and dreams about talking squirrels, this book is never dull. Waldo is an entertaining narrator who shares his puzzlement over his parents and their theories, his fears, and even the extremes of his own clumsiness (getting his head stuck in the stove during a happy dance, for example). As I read, I pictured his father looking much like Doc Brown from "Back to the Future" and the submarine full of tools and half-finished inventions. Waldo's descriptions will have you laughing out loud as he says the Vice-President "looked at us as though we'd just slapped him across the face with a wet trout." And when he encounters a ghost, he explains that "my brain spun in my head like a cow in a cyclone." (I pictured the movie "Twister" at that point, with Helen Hunt saying "Cow." as one goes flying past their truck.)

If you enjoy humorous stories with lots of action, vicious wildlife (monkeys, sharks, eels), enormous jewels, and multiple ghosts, then pick up this book. Until you read it, you can't imagine all the zany events and characters. Once you dive in, you'll be a captive audience for the entire thing - just like W.B.

W. B. Baron tells his class about his summer adventure when his teacher calls on him. She tells him his story is fantasy and puts him in the corner in his dunce hat. As he sits there, he tells the mouse who lives there the whole story. Once you read this book, you'll understand why his teacher thought he was lying...

Amberjack Publishing and Net Galley gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you). It's being published tomorrow.

This is a perfect read for middle graders. There are silly inventions that make things big or shrink them small, there's killer monkeys, there's an airplane and submarine, and there's a treasure to be recovered.

The Barons are told that the Vice President needs this treasure to save the country. They undergo great adventures, near death, and hazardous inventions to get the treasure. Then they find out the Vice President is a fake and they are to be killed. The good news is that the mistake they made with their make it big invention shows up at the right time.

There's plenty for your imagination to chew on here and you might encourage your child to write their own story and create their own adventure. Maybe they'll come up with an even more outrageous story!

Playful, funny, and very imaginative! This book was a great follow-up to the first one in the series and I enjoyed every minute of the character's and their adventures!

This is the second book in the Bizzare Baron Inventions series. Like the first book, The Splendid Baron Submarine is light-hearted and full of humor.

The Baron's are tasked with finding a long lost treasure to become national heroes. It seems like an easy task thanks to M and P's inventions. When you add in monkeys, ghosts, sharks, and giant worms, the task starts to seem impossible. While W.B's sanity is called into question, the family realizes that things may not be as they first appeared.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Author: Eric Bower
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
Publication Date: 7 Nov 2017

I loved this book. The descriptions of the characters and the places were really cool. My favourite bit was when WBs Dad used the biginator to turn a slug into a giant slug. I found the book really funny and it reminded me of the Mr Gum books (Andy Stanton) because it was so funny. I would recommend it to anyone who likes adventure books.

Mack Stewart (age, almost 9)

This is the second book in a series - but is perfect as a standalone too. I read the first book in the fall and have recommended it to anyone who would listen that had readers in 3rd grade through middle school. W.B. is living in a time of horse drawn carriages but with parents that can invent almost anything. This book follows the same zany adventure ideas as the first with parents that have created such cool things as a "bigger" machine - watch out for the earthworm! I really liked the jumping around as W.B. told the story and the imagination expanding scenes with the goofy antics of everyone from poor Aunt Dorcas, who always gets left behind, to the bodyguards who come to kidnap the family.

Middle grade readers will enjoy getting to know W.B. Baron and his adventuring inventor family. The Splendid Baron Submarine sneaks in historical science in a rollicking adventure. This lovely, well-paced book is reminiscent of the quirkiness and plot-reliant Mysterious Benedict Society books. One to add to any middle grade library (and a fun one for an adult read-aloud or read-along).

A tremendous adventure for middle grade readers. With a nod towards Steampunk and with lots of laughter and weird and wonderful creatures this is definitely one for lovers of fantasy and excitement. Look out for the first book in this series.

This is the 2nd book in the Bizarre Baron Adventures, and I can't wait for more. I am reading these to my 11 year old son, and my 8 year old, who rarely follows along is being sucked in as well.

Poor W.B. is such a normal kid, with brilliant parents. He ends up going along with them on all sorts of strange adventures. When his teacher asks him what he did on summer vacation, he ends up in trouble because she assumes he is making up stories.

I love how silly everything gets. Like he is the only one who will fit in the underwater suit. He ends up between a shark and an eel. His father falls in love with a monkey, whom he names Waldo because he always wanted a son named Waldo. Which really makes W.B. mad, because his name IS Waldo.

It makes us all laugh, and we end up reading through this faster than any other story. It's light and easy going.