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Philip Reeve's Oliver and the Seawigs made me laugh out loud several times. I highly recommend it for kids aged seven to fourteen. It is the story of young Oliver Crisp. Oliver has lived all his life with explorer parents and at last time has come for the family to settle down in their unused house by the sea. But as luck would have it, Oliver's folks see some nearby islands badly in need of exploring. The urge to discover new things takes over, and the next thing you know, they have disappeared. Oliver is now stuck with the task of finding them.
He sets sail. Along the way, he meets Iris, a plump, near-sighted mermaid; a snooty albatross; some sea monkeys; a mopey, disheartened island; and some very cynical sneery weeds, among other sea-things. The name of the weeds will be withheld in this review because their introduction into the story is one of the best wordplays ever.
Oliver and the Seawigs will introduce kids to the idea of exploration. It plays with myths and legends of mermaids, which savvy kids will love and understand. Iris, the mermaid, is a strong female character, and the whole crew on Oliver's island are plucky outcasts.
The whole idea of sea-wigs is hilarious, and one will never be able to look at an island in the same way after one discovers what sea-wigs are. The book is full of humorous illustrations which fit perfectly with the funny narrative. Highly recommended.
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Oliver and the Seawigs (Not-So-Impossible Tales)