I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for review.
This book is humorous to keep kids engrossed in it.

This is the third adventure for Mr. Penguin and his sidekick, Colin, and how can you go wrong. For this adventure, we join Mr. Penguin and Colin on a cruise and learn that not all is as it seems. We learn more about our adventuring duo and their friends with each installment but they can be enjoyed as a standalone, as well. I look forward to more zany adventures in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Myrick Marketing & Media, LLC for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

Having read the other 2 of this series, I was hoping that these books would get better as they continued. The story makes no sense, the characters are ridiculous, and the only reason I’ve given this book more that one star is because the illustrations are interesting, if not very sophisticated. I’m sorry for the harsh review but they asked for honesty and this book was very hard to get through.

This was such a delightful book! The illustrations are beautiful and dynamic - they are sure to keep all readers engaged. The visuals throughout the book also make this the perfect book for struggling or reluctant readers because they help to bring the story to life and will very likely help these readers fill in any parts where the text is more difficult for them. This was the first book from the series that I have read, but I don't feel that prevented me from catching on quickly to who the characters were and the relationships between them. The story is fun and perfect for the target audience. I highly recommend this book for school classrooms and libraries!

This is a children/middle grade book. I think the pictures are very cute and brings a lot to the story. I liked the characters. I do not like or understand the plot of the story. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review , and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I have had the great pleasure of working with this book and this publisher. The story is fun and unique, which is perfectly coupled with the fun and unique illustrations.

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Hodder Children’s Books for providing me an advanced reader’s copy of “Mr Penguin and the Catastrophic Cruise” for my review.

I have not read the previous books in the series, so I didn’t really know what to expect. But I am so glad that I read it. It surpassed my expectations and turned out to be a wonderful read! I loved it! This is one of those books that just made me feel warm all over after reading.

This book is perfect if you are in the mood for a feel-good, light-hearted adventure. Even though it is targeted for younger readers, I feel a person of any age will enjoy this. There are quite a few twists and turns which even I didn’t see coming. There is so much adventure in this story that I felt like I was re-living the old Tintin comics.

The characters are quirky, charming and just bring a smile to your face. There are some moments that are completely implausible (like how the crew mistake Mr. Penguin and Colin as members because they are in uniform). However, you can still ignore them, as surprisingly, it adds well to the story. Also, Mr. Penguin is adorable as the main character where he overcomes his fears and leaps into adventure. Moreover, I loved Colin and his notepad, Marina, Edith and even the Kraken. The author has also depicted the villains in a dastardly but humorous way.

Now coming to the author. This is the first time I read about Alex T.Smith and I am BLOWN AWAY like Mr. Penguin! He wrote this wonderful story AND did all the amazing, jaw-dropping illustrations. This book is a visual delight in each page, whether it be just the background colors or the large texts (in addition to the main illustrations). In fact, even if I had any problems with the story, the illustrations more than made up for it. I have become a fan of the author and NEED to read all his previous books.

Overall, this story was a delight and made me purchase even the previous two books in the series.

I Love These Guys

This is the third book in the Mr. Penguin series, and I think they are getting better with each volume. In the first book we had to set up the premise and introduce the main characters, and that was a bit time consuming and sometimes odd. The characters are a touch surreal so it took a little time to warm up to them. By the second book we had the players and the premise down, but then the plot went a little loopy.

But now this third time is definitely the charm. With the characters firmly in place we get to develop them more, and both Mr. Penguin and Colin, (his sidekick spider), develop deeper and more interesting personalities, (as does Edith, who's always a treat just when least expected). This is all still done for laughs, but they aren't quite so cartoony this time around. In the same vein, the plot is reliably antic, but it stays on the rails and is easy enough to follow even when it heads, (as these plots always do), into nutty territory. It also seems that more space and effort has been devoted to little side scenes and funny bits that aren't directly related to the plot but do flesh out the adventure.

As always, the drawing, (and attention grabbing splashes), support and complement the storytelling, and many panels are loaded with clever and wacky details that add a good deal to the overall enjoyment of the book, and understanding, (for younger readers), of the action.

So, "Mr. Penguin" is a series with continuing appeal, (and just enough sly good-natured humor for parents and older readers), and this third volume is a fine addition.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)