Author: TT MacDangereuse (no website found)
Publisher: Penguin
Rating: WORTHY!
Based on a Cartoon Network series, this is one of a pair of charming middle-grade books which were well-enough written that they entertained me, too, and I'm closer to middle-age than ever I am middle-grade! The other is The Untamed Scoundrel. These stories are only about 130 pages long, and pretty much double-spaced, so that makes them more like 70 pages - a very fast read. I got them both from the library, but I plan on buying these for my kids to read.
I have no idea in what order these were published, and from a purely reading PoV, it really doesn't matter since they're completely self-contained and not at all chronological, but I read this one second. I was less impressed with it than I was the first. Perhaps that was because I found the first to be a complete riot, whereas this seemed a bit darker by comparison, and rather less humorous.
It was, however, still greatly entertaining and just as wild and crazy in its own way, as was the first one I read, so I have no hesitation in recommending it. There's a new cast of characters here, although one of them has an apparent family relationship to a character in the other novel.
The story begins with Fionna, who has a fear - call it a phobia - of, well not so much the ocean, but the evil carnivores which live in it. Fionna is attending a party aboard a luxury yacht (pronounced, "Throat Wobbler Mangrove" - and if you get that reference, then you'll probably enjoy this novel) with a rented date.
The Ice Queen is also in attendance. She ends up issuing a boat-race challenge to the owner of the yacht - and then she cheats to win it, leaving Fionna and the yacht's owner, PG, and her morphing cat "Cake", stranded in a dinghy together - where they're promptly picked up by pirates - led by a vampire! Just your typical day in Adventure Time! Fionna becomes rather more closely acquainted with the ocean than ever she wanted to be, and finds creative uses for a jellyfish.
I recommend this if you like your middle-grade stories just the other side of crazy! You can read the first chapter of this on the Amazon website.
