Sea Legs

by Alex Shearer

Eric and Clive's widowed dad is a steward on a cruise ship, and every time he goes away, the twins miss him terribly. Eric (older and considerably wiser than Clive by about five minutes) and Clive decide that this time will be different. When their father leaves for his latest cruise, they will go with him! Only Dad doesn't know yet, because Eric and Clive are going to be stowaways! How can their plan possibly fail? Okay, so Clive is a compulsive liar, with a tendency toward disastrous mishaps. It's worth the risk. All they have to do is keep out of Dad's way and stay out of trouble -- for three whole weeks...

Genres: Childrens, Juvenile

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 2003

About the author

Alex Shearer started his writing career as a scriptwriter and has had great success in that field. His credits include The Two of Us, the 1990s sitcom starring Nicholas Lyndhurst. More recently he has started writing for children. His Wilmot stories have been adapted for TV by Yorkshire television, and his children's novel, The Greatest Store in the World, was screened as a feature length TV film on Christmas Eve 1999 by the BBC. Alex's recent novel 'The Speed of the Dark' was shortlisted for the 2002 Guardian Fiction Prize

Alex Shearer lives with his family in Somerset. He has written more than a dozen books for both adults and children, as well as many successful television series, films, and stage and radio plays. He has had over thirty different jobs, and has never given up trying to play the guitar.

Reviews

[Bradley Axe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as a child, around 9/10 years old. I loved it then, like, I read it three times. Now I've gotten back into books I decided to treat myself and retry it and... it was meh. Don't get me wrong, it's a book for kids, and that's it. It's not a book that can be enjoyed by an adult beyond revisiting one's nostalgia. It wasn't bad, I did finish the book rather than quit out of frustration. But it's more a reminder of the power of nostalgia than a a romp back to your childhood

[little · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book ever. Period

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most charming books I have ever read. The narration style is like nothing I've ever seen before. I almost felt like the way the sentences were structured made me read faster and faster. I laughed out loud a couple of times. I can just picture everything that happened so perfectly.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading this book to my 3rd graders right now, and we all just love it!!! Several of my kiddos have said that it is the best book they have ever had read aloud to them! I was surprised to hear from the school librarian that she was thinking about taking it out of circulation. This, she explained, was because no one was checking it out. I gave her a glowing review!

[Ranee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great adventure! One star off for tired ladies staying over night occasionally (no details at least)

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adventure at sea, full of brotherly sibling rivalry and an endless rundown of word-play, sarcasm and dry wit. Two twins ditch a summer at their grandparents' house to spend a few weeks at sea with their father, a steward on a cruise ship. Dad, of course, doesn't know. The two stowaways find clever ways to sneak past security, pretend they are not on the ship alone, and of course, avoid Dad. One of the elements that I really liked was that the two boys, who in general liked their father anyway, really began to respect him for the courteous and honorable way he treats the guests on the boat. So this is not your classic young people against grown-ups book, although the young boys do end up outsmarting the pirates (using a well-placed leg in the aisle, a well-aimed frisbee toss, and a well-timed swipe of an ax).
Readers who like adventure, especially adventures at sea, a little bit of mystery, and a lot of humorous bits should enjoy this. Written by an Englishman, it also has a distinct English flair. Nothing that should get in the way of enjoying the book, but something to note.
Severe underage disobedience. Some light violence.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really funny narrative. This present-day high-seas adventure features English twins Eric and Clive, who pick at, quip, and wisecrack with one another as they stow away on the cruise ship where their father is Senior Steward. In this laugh-out-loud story, the boys work their way through each problem confronting stowaways. They merge with a family group in order to embark. They find a sleeping room in "rat class," graze from buffets, lounge by the pool, nearly get stranded at a port of call in Egypt, and manage to stay away from first class, where their father works. Part of their cover-up involves befriending an elderly woman whom cruise mates believe is their grandmother. They out-swank the rich Swanker family by making them believe that the captain is their father and does not want anyone to know that his children are aboard. What one doesn't think of, the other does. Just when the two are discovered, robbers take over the ship, and father and sons spring into action. You can’t help but laugh-out-loud at these two. Adventure/Comedy

[Reet Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maritime juvenile fiction is fairly difficult to come by. That's why I was surprised when I came across this book. Overlooking some vulgarities this book is hilarious. Younger twin brother Clive (who as it later turns out is the eldest of the twins) is a regular nut. He can come up with more absurd stories than you can shake a stick at. Sea Legs is more of a nonsense story, with the reader hanging on to each word trying to figure out what ridiculous thing Clive is going to do or say next. The other twin, Eric, narrates the story. There is a follow-up book titled "Land-Lubbers", but I've yet to decide if I will be reading it.

I was a little apprehensive on whether to give this a 3 or 4 star rating but finally decided on 4 stars.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice adventure of twins who stow away on a luxury cruise ship to be with their dad who is a steward on the ship. Hiding from him, yet hanging out by the pool and acting like regular passengers except when going to their hideout at night, keeps them on their toes. One of the twins, who is older ( and whose name we don't know except from the description of this book) tries to keep the younger twin in line. Students may like their sense of humor.

It took me a few days to read this book instead of my usual one or two, so it didn't capture my attention that well.

[Hana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious! There was hardly any unlikable characters. Eric (the narrator) wasn't whiny and actually had good sense of humor for such a serious person. And Clive's stupidity was HILARIOUS. At some parts I could not stop giggling. In fact, I was giggling throughout the whole book. Even when Clive almost fell overboard, I nearly died laughing. Their personalities were so great! So imagine my surprise when they basically switched personalities at the end. I admit I didn't like the ending at first, but later I realized, Well, any other ending would've been BORING.

[Aubreyva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sea legs is about two brothers who adore the sea. They manage to sneak onto a cruise boat and that's where they meet other crew members, some annoying and some are unique. The brothers shenanigans do get them into some odd situations and trouble that will make you giggle. I personally love this book! Some parts I couldn't stop laughing over like the conversation over showering and where are the brothers going to go when one has to use the bathroom. I would recommend this book to anyone at my age or someone who wants a book that will make a smile on their face.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sea Legs is an engaging adventure story about two twin brothers who decide to spend more time with their father by sneaking aboard the cruise ship he works on. While the plot is fun (the brothers get to save the day), the real enjoyment is in the relationship between the two boys. This book is appropriate for elemetary and middle school libraries. It is written in first person, which also adds a bit of interest to the story.

[Jackie Merrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice adventure of twins who stow away on a luxury cruise ship to be with their dad who is a steward on the ship. Hiding from him, yet hanging out by the pool and acting like regular passengers except when going to their hideout at night, keeps them on their toes. One of the twins, who is older tries to keep the younger twin in line. This book is full of adventure!

[Intrepid47 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was good. It was really funny at some points, and horribly boring at others. But, all in all, I liked this book. I thought that it could use a little more change of setting more often. It seemed like the boys were always in the same place. I mean, it makes sense that they were always in the same place, they were on a ship for months, but still.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The voice is so fun and real, and I laugh through the whole thing. Underneath the charm and humor, it really is a deep and emotional book, too. The characters are wonderful, and though larger than life, they're so real.

I've read it twice, and I loved it so much the first time I read it that I bought it.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this and it was funny, but then I lost it and now I owe the school twenty dollars. You'll probably like this book if you like comedy, but don't run down a hill with it in an extremely full backpack that's likley to come open.

[Tianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will make you laugh until there's no laughter in ya! And what is it? Sea Legs? This HILARIOUS book is about two brothers who sneak away on their father's cruise ship. But will there father ever find out theyre on the cruise? Find out in.....
Sea Legs!

[Carly]

I didn't exactly read the whole book but yeah...this book seems like a good little adventure of reading but I put it down because I have a lot of other books to read. I think later on in the future I will check it out again and finally read the whole book. I would hope so. (:

[Alice Qu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was very funny and entertaining. The boys, the narrator and Clive have got on a boat that their dad was working on and and the time of there lives with many live-or-death encounters and a lot of encounters being caught.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric and Clive just want to be with their dad who is a steward on a cruise ship. So they decide to be stowaways. And their plan works really well until their dad finds them and pirates take over the ship. This is a really cute book narrated by Eric. I laughed all the way through it.

[Beth Lequeuvre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this book. A great story of two brothers constantly ribbing each other and playing with words have an adventure where they stow away on the cruise ship their Dad is a steward on. Highly recommend this read for any one who has young boys.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most hilarious book ever!!! I almost died laughing!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book about a couple of boys who stowaway on the cruise ship that their father works on, very funny!

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious!! I couldn't stop laughing!!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reason we named the puppy Clive

[Ladawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little story. I think it would actually make a fun movie. I'm trying to find more books for my kids to read. I bought this one at the book fair and can definitely recommend it for kids.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in 3rd grade and I laughed my pants off! Especially when the one brother closes the windows on the other brother's head!

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read and funny. Twin brothers are stowaways on the cruise ship where their dad is a steward.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother suggested this one to me

[Sydney Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

bravo