Silver has lived on a cruise ship for most of her life; her best friends are all pensioners and she's never had a best friend her own age; however, when Yana joins the ship as a guest, Silver is hopeful they may become friends, especially when there's a theft to investigate. But can the thief be caught before the end of the cruise?
Silver has lived a pretty unique live on board a cruise ship and whilst that might be exciting, it certainly seems to mean that she doesn't have any friends her own age. The Gang, however, are rather wonderful and a brilliant group of 'old people' who very nicely prove that being old doesn't mean being boring. Silver just wants to be accepted by children her own age so when Yana befriends her, she feels the need to change herself to suit Yana (please never do this- being yourself is the only thing that counts). Silver is a character that readers will love and will get behind; full of empathy, the book makes the perfect discussion point for friendships.
A cruise ship is such a great setting for a novel with endless possibilities. It's easy to see that Emma, like Silver, grew up on a ship and the information about life on board and sea terminology really bring the ship to life for readers. My parents have cruised for years and loved it, so I'm used to hearing tales from sea. Whilst the stops along the way were certainly ones my parents experienced, and life on board as a passenger was something I'd heard about, the idea of investigating a theft creates a brilliant adventure with numerous suspects in both the staff and passengers. Silver is excited at the perspective of being a detective and hunting down the missing watches, and what ensues is a humours hunt for the culprit where everybody is a suspect.
The story was full of humour, clues and guessing who dunnit. The diary-style writing makes it an easy paced, friendly and enthralling read. I loved Silver's way of chatting to readers and the various ways readers are able to interact with Silver (there's space to respond to her questions and the quizzes), and the illustrations by Katie Saunders perfectly enhance the plot.
Publishing 3rd July, Cruise Ship Kid is a delightful adventure where mystery and comedy combine seamlessly, and the book is going to make the perfect summer holiday read. I can't wait to see what's in store for Silver next.
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