Elastic Island: Alphabet Resort

Description

Alphabet Resort is the fourth in the Elastic Island Adventures children's book series for children aged 8 - 12. Kiri, Jed, and twins Emma and Ethan, discover an 'elastic' island that sends them pinging across the ocean to a variety of destinations. The children are excited to be going to the wedding of King Shiny and Princess Topaz. Love is in the air, especially when they encounter Wombo the Wombat, a bachelor looking for love, who they decide to help. But then Princess Topaz is kidnapped, and everyone begins a frantic hunt to find her. Will they find her in time for the wedding, and will Wombo the Wombat succeed in finding love?

Karen McMillan lives in New Zealand and is the author of 17 books, published in nine countries, a mixture of fiction, non-fiction and children's books. She has been a speaker at many festivals and events, including the Going West Festival, the Devonport Arts Festival, the Tauranga Arts Festival, and Brisbane Book Week .

Miss Eight and I had been looking forward to reviewing this book for so long - she was already a firm fan of the series and could not wait to see what the four children and her personal favourite, Blong the Cat, would be up to this time round. There is a nice sense of familiarity when a book is part of a series. The main characters are like special friends; their personalities are already known, so you can go straight to the story proper. Near the beginning of the book is a list of the 26 authors who have given their names to the various buildings in Alphabet Resort. I was amazed at how intrigued Miss Eight was by the listing. She loved the whole idea and said she hoped one day someone would name something after her too! 10/10' Kiwi Reviews 'This is a delightful and entertaining book for 7 to 11 year olds with well drawn characters moving along at an agreeable pace and extending their imagination into a healthy, imaginary fantasy world.' Flaxflower reviews 'Like the other books in this series this new Elastic Island Adventure story is well told with Karen McMillan's usual quirky sense of humour and would be a jolly good read for 6-12-year olds.' Grownups.co.nz 'In this story, that easily stands alone, they have been invited to the wedding of King Shiny and Princess Topaz. Their accommodation is the Alphabet Resort where each holiday house is named after a children's author complete with information about them and their books. I think it's great when children's stories reference other authors and books as it will inspire wider reading. Then Princess Topaz is kidnapped and the children help in the hunt to find her in time for her wedding. It's made more difficult with a set of cryptic clues to decipher and that Princess Topaz has been rendered invisible. The characters are amusing and quirky, especially Mrs Quokka with her mixed-up idioms known as Quokka logic. RECOMMENDED.' Read NZ Te Pou Muramura 'Alphabet Resort sticks with the lovable cast of characters readers know and love from its predecessors. The four young children in the story are well defined and likable, each with their own quirks and strengths. The relationships and interactions between the four characters - and indeed with the minor characters - are realistic and perfectly pitched for the intended audience of children aged between eight and 12 years.' NZ Booklovers