Review of Mike & Alex

[Rebecca De Figueiredo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mike & Alex" by Peter van Wermeskerken.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Title: Mike and Alex, Part Three
Author: Peter Van Wermeskerken

In this book, the young reader is taken across the globe, from the coast of Normandy to the seas off Argentina, from Norwegian fjords to a busy Chinese harbour, to name a few places. We see marine life, literally through the eyes of Big Wally, the whale, as our two protagonists (Alex the boar and Mike the rabbit) sit inside Big Wally and look out. It is all action as Alex and Mike help to remove a harpoon embedded deep in Big Wally, meet an ink-squirting squid, help with a revenge attack on some Japanese whale hunters and help clean the oceans.

There is a lot to learn from this book. There are new words, places, and facts about everything from the sea to surgical procedures, and there is even an explanation of the ancient Greek word 'Eureka'. It combines knowledge with a story using friendly animals as our protagonists.

I found it laborious at times. The description of how items were manoeuvred for Big Wally's surgery seemed to go on forever, as did other scenarios. I disliked the use of a couple of non-borderline profanities and the slight misogynistic feel of the book, considering the book is recommended for six to twelve-year-olds. Because of all these observations, I will award this book a three out of five stars.

There will be those who will enjoy this book, and I admit there are some good and important messages regarding keeping the oceans clean and respecting animals. If an adult reads this book to the child, they can make it more interesting using 'character voices'.

There were a few grammatical mistakes. The illustrations were bright with nicely described details: a child will enjoy them. As described, this book is for children aged six to twelve; the older of this range is the better option. Despite my dislikes, the book has good points, such as the messages about our environment and the educational aspects.

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Mike & Alex
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