"Oliver and the Seawigs" is a cute and imaginative story. Born to explorer parents, Oliver has lived a life filled with excitement as they traveled the world together. But just when his parents decide to settle down in one place, they go missing while exploring their new home. It’s up to Oliver to find them, so he begins a solo trek into mysterious Deepwater Bay Along the way, he encounters sea creatures who quickly befriend him and help on his quest, and comes across foes who are just as creatively diabolical.

The book is filled with humor and has a perfect balance of fantasy and suspense. Core themes include family, friendship and bravery, and would be a solid choice for young readers who enjoy light-hearted adventures. This is a chapter book, but is interspersed with lots of illustrations, so I would definitely recommend it for readers who need something a bit longer to stretch their skills. This is a great addition to a classroom or kid’s library, and I give it a strong recommendation.

The winning element of this book is, no doubt, the illustrations. They're fun, whimsical, imaginative, and -- most importantly -- move the story forward. That's saying quite a bit, because the story itself is a little weak. Readers don't get enough time to bond with Oliver and his parents before his parents disappear. Also, the narrative keeps referencing old adventures Oliver went on. Without having read any other books by this author, I don't know if these other adventures are actual books for the target audience or if they're just meant to fill in back story. If it's the latter, they're actually distracting more than anything else because in some cases they sound more interesting than Oliver's current predicament.

The omniscient narrator is a little distracting. Oliver as a character has all the right ingredients -- bravery; loyalty to friends; a willingness to try new things; the ability to accept the unusual without batting an eye -- but, as I mentioned, because these don't get grounded in a layered plot, they really come across as individual elements of the protagonist.

The book is fine for the youngest readers of the target audience, but others might get a little bored with it after the first few chapters.

This is an engaging adventure that my son and I both enjoyed. The almost-chapter book aspect allowed for my elementary schooler to have independence while reading, but was enough to keep my attention as well. Oliver is a hoot, and the supporting cast of character, especially the mermaid, were just as fun. The humor and action were plentiful! I would happily encourage parents of young boys attempting to find a book that will engage their children to give this one a try!

I embarrassed to say this, but after watching Sarah McIntyre's Facebook posts that have included pictures of her crazy Seawigs costumes, I am finally reading it. And all I can say, is I should have done it sooner. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy the collaboration of Reeve and McIntyre.

I read this book with my son over the summer and we both enjoyed it more than I thought we would. I loved how Oliver takes these adventures as he searches to find his missing parents. It was cute and imaginative while loving at the same time. My son did get a few laughs out of this one, which is always a goal of mine as a parent.

I read this to my younger brother (who's under the age of 10) He and I enjoyed it. This story is light, fun and an easy read. The art went great with the theme. I believe kids of all ages will have fun diving into this world!