Mr. Penguin and the Tomb of Doom

Mr Penguin #4

by Alex T. Smith

Mr. Penguin returns for another sidesplitting adventure in this abundantly illustrated detective series chock-full of silly antics and good-spirited, page-turning peril.

Mr. Penguin and his kung-fu spider sidekick, Colin, are in for another wild and daring escapade! After arriving in the bustling desert town of Laghaz, their good friend Edith Hedge goes missing! Then someone strikingly familiar appears, and the Adventuring gang is snared in a web of clues that lures them right into...THE VALLEY OF PERIL: hidden crypts, cursed treasure, and nefarious figures skulking in the shadows!

Could Edith's disappearance be connected with the treasure in the tombs? Will the gang be reunited to find out? And will someone please get rid of that spooky eyeball that's been following Mr. Penguin before it catches up to him?

This fourth madcap mystery in the Mr. Penguin series from Alex T. Smith is sure to thrill transitional readers with quick pacing and plenty of comical, two-tone illustrations.

Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Animals, Cultural

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2021

About the author

Alex T. Smith is the creator of the much-loved and bestselling Claude fiction series for early readers. He was the official World Book Day illustrator in 2014, and other recent accolades include the UKLA Picture Book Award for Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion and the Children’s Book of the World Illustration Award for illustrating Dodie Smith’s The Hundred and One Dalmatians. When not working, Alex enjoys doodling in his sketchbook, reading, people-watching, and eavesdropping. He lives under the watchful eye of his small canine companions, who are a constant source of inspiration to him.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Mr Penguin and the gang move from Cityville to Laghaz, adventure sparks right under their noses as their friend, Edith gets kidnapped without a trace, apart from a broken train timetable. With the help of Cynthia (Edith’s twin sister) and Professor Umlaut (the librarian) Mr Penguin, Colin and Gordon figure that Edith’s kidnapper’s must be in the valley of peril. But as the group catch the night train, they realise that someone is following them...

This book is probably my favourite Mr Penguin book by far because of the twists and turns but especially because of the first class humour which leaves you laughing for hours! I’m not giving any spoilers because there are a huge amount of twists and turns! Mr Penguin also makes unexpected new friends along the way.

I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone that likes adventure, mystery and humorous books. In fact, I would recommend all of the facts in the Mr Penguin series as I think that they are all epic stories. I will probably start to read more Alex T. Smith books such as the Claude series. I am waiting for the next Mr Penguin book to come out. I can’t wait to see what Mr Penguin, Colin and the rest of the gang will get up to next time!

[Kirsty Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best One Yet

This has to be the best Mr Penguin adventure in the series, I absolutely loved this one. Full of adventure, tension, disguises, booby traps, treasure and fish finger sandwiches. Mr Penguin and the team are on the case again and this time they have the help of budding adventurer Farooq and his feline friend Agent Eyeball! A fun and exciting read!

[Sirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again trying to take a break from it all, Mr Penguin and friends travel to the desert. But instead of relaxation and tasty snacks, they find themselves in the middle of a mystery—one that seems to have put their beloved friend Edith in peril. Mr Penguin and Colin race to the rescue, but it's impossible to know friend from foe.

I recall mentioning that these books were becoming absurdly ridiculous, and I stand by that, although I'm not sure they've arrived at the ultimate "most absurdly ridiculous" just yet, and that's okay too. This volume makes a few more bum jokes than the last one, but otherwise, it has a brilliant sense of chaos and action and a little bit of heartwarming self-confidence that was just what this series needed.

[Edyta InBookishWorld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Świetna książka, szkoda, że nie została przetłumaczona na język polski, bo młodsi czytelnicy bawiliby się świetnie. Jest zagadka i to nie taka, której rozwiązanie zostaje podane nam na talerzu. Można się też pośmiać, bo Pa Pingwin czasami nie grzeszy rozumem.

Jedna z lepszych książek dla dzieci jakie było dane mi przeczytać.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable and fun book - we are looking forward to reading some more books by this author

[Nick Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a plonker

[Anthony Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. My kids absolutely love this series but I have to honest I don't totally understand why.

[beckys_book_blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Penguin and The Tomb of Doom by Alex T. Smith

My daughter absolutely loves the Mr Penguin series and has read them all. She was extremely excited to have won the 4th book in the series from Toppsta and has been devouring it since it arrived!
This time Mr Penguin and his trusty sidekick Collin the spider are off to the desert to try to rescue their friend Edith who has been kidnapped. They have three impossible tasks to complete. Will they complete them in time and get back in time for their fish finger sandwich?!
As with all of these fantastic books there is always chaos in store for poor Mr Penguin. He is such an unlikely private investigator/adventurer as he gets very easily confused and isn't very brave! These stories are so full of fun and adventure and my daughter always laughs so much reading them.
She loves the hilarious and brilliant illustrations throughout the book and they really bring the silliness of the mad penguin adventures to life. We would highly recommend all of these stories to readers 6+

[Lee Kofman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is the best out of the 3 books in the series I so far read (1st and 2nd). It is genuinely inventive and surprising, and is challenging in its historical references and many plot twists. It treats children with respect, not trying to be simple, but trusts their intelligence and perseverance.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Penguin and Colin are on a very important rescue mission on a train, in the middle of the desert, trying to find their friend Edith who has disappeared! But Mr. Penguin and Colin have been reading too many spooky mummy stories, and Mr. Penguin is seeing creepy mummies at every turn. Can they find Edith before it is too late, and before Mr. Penguin scares himself silly?

Another fun adventure with Mr. Penguin and gang. This time there are distinct shades of Agatha Christie hanging around, including a character with a name super similar to a Christie detective and reading a Christie book. There's mysterious occurrences on the train. A puzzle in an old tomb. And of course, Mr. Penguin and Colin's usual antics. We also get to learn a bit more about Edith's family in this one. I didn't find this as hilarious as the last 2, but it was still very entertaining. Hand this to would be archaeologist/adventurers.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. The tomb has a puzzle that is potentially deadly but everyone makes it out ok.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

In which our penguin hero, his mute spider friend and the rest concentrate on a crime wave, that first and foremost where they're concerned has kidnapped one of them, apparently. Elsewhere, jewels get thieved, and a museum's new mummy comes to life. Mr Penguin might have been fine as a reluctant, slapstick hero detective, but the wackiness of the spider writing all conversation to him, and so much more, kind of makes this series – on this evidence, anyway – quite adult-proof, at least until the bravura pell-mell action of the final third. I admired it for its amount of "kerfuffle" and "harrumphing" and how someone "hoofed it" to get somewhere fast, but on the other side the pronoun-hiding text in the flashes to the mysterious goings-on read as most clumsy (which is probably the fault of those who mangle pronouns for other reasons anyway, but all the same). Perhaps three and a half for the action drama.

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Penguin and his spidey-sidekick Colin are exploring Laghaz when their fearless leader Edith goes missing. Edith's sister Cynthia appears and enlists their help in finding her twin. Unbeknownst to them, their movements are being followed closely by a sinister villain!

I have not read the first few books in this series so I'm not familiar with the backstory of Mr. Penguin, Colin, Edith, and Gordon, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this story. Their adventure is exciting and dangerous and it perfectly highlights the strengths that each of the friends possess. Though Mr. Penguin is often left feeling like he's contributing nothing to the case, he's brave and loyal and when the going gets tough he saves the day.

I love a good underdog story and a good adventure and these things are combined in this book along with great humor and devoted friendships. Really fun, quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

I absolutely love these books! They are so much fun to read even for an adult like me. I can definitely see myself reading these with my son when he is old enough to sit through chapter books. This fourth entry for the series may be my favorite so far. The references to Agatha Christie were a nice touch. I liked the extra storyline of Mr. Penguin feeling that he wasn't good at anything and didn't add much to the group - it's perfect for kids who feel like they maybe aren't as good at things as their friends and are lacking in self-confidence. The ancient mummy joke at the end made me chuckle. I also really liked the addition of Farooq to the team for this story. This is a must have book and series for all classrooms and school libraries for this age group of reader!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Penguin and his friends are thrown into a huge Egyptian adventure, akin to that of Indiana Jones', to find his dear friend Edith. Though uncertain and unsure of himself and how he can usefully contribute to the team's efforts of finding Edith, Mr. Penguin bravely fends off villains, charges through deadly booby traps, and faces his innumerable fears and worries. There's so much adventure, puzzles, and mysteries to be solved throughout this story. What a fun read!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Penguin and his friends are back for another adventure! When one of the gang gets kidnapped, the others are on a mission to find them before it's too late.

I really enjoy the Mr. Penguin books. The escapades the group gets into are so fun to read, and the illustrations just add to the charm. I hope we get a Mr. Penguin #5!

Thank you to Alex T. Smith, Peachtree, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Mr Penguin, Colin, Edith and Gordon deliver a beautifully illustrated, funny, fast-paced and puntastic adventure. Lots of scope for putting on funny voices while reading aloud to the 10 year old. Suitable for any kid that finds chubby penguins in dashing hats funny - that's everyone isn't it?

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the final book in my 9yo's current favourite series!

As with previous Mr Penguin books, we meet a host of familiar characters, plus some new ones! In fact, the whole family of one particular character...

I did like the storyline of this one, and as usual it was full of mystery and mishaps, with my fave Colin the Kung-Fu Spider to the rescue!

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Penguin actually is Indiana Jones in a penguin’s body. This was so full of fun and capers of the archaeological kind! Kidnapping, new friends, old friends, secrets and lots of adventure! Deserts, pyramids, stolen treasure… what more do you need? I’m sad this series is over!

[Emma Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was our final class novel for the year. My Year One class gave this latest addition to the Mr Penguin series 5 stars. It had a touch of the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade feel to it.

[Michael Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Latest book finished with my little ones at bed time!!! Awesome story, we’ll have to back track to the 1st 3 in the series..

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

My girls and I are really enjoying this series. Such fun!

[Alice Varley-Doran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very exciting story!

[Jessica Wilhoite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad this series is over - Jackson and I really enjoyed it!

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids are sad that this is (currently, we hope!) the last Mr. Penguin book. They are obsessed with his silly little adventures!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely barmy, but loving reading these books with my eldest.

[Anna Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great adventure for the pals again. Laugh aloud at times and gripping.

[Sarah Fernandes (Badders) · Rating 5 out of 5]

We especially loved this one! It was such a great adventure, and we recalled parts of the story when we watched The Mummy : )

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the names in the story 😆

[Youngsun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a fun read with kids. It also includes fun illustration too.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read for myself and my 7 year old.