Alice-Miranda at Sea by Jacqueline Harvey

Title: Alice-Miranda at Sea

Author: Jacqueline Harvey

Genre: Fiction/Mystery

Publisher: Puffin Australia

Published: 7^th May 2019/1^st August 2011

Format: Paperback

Pages: 352

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Mystery and intrigue above deck and below!

Alice-Miranda is set for a luxurious cruise aboard the royal yacht Octavia, where Aunty Gee is hosting the wedding of Aunt Charlotte and Lawrence Ridley. Even Ambrosia Headlington-Bear has come along, much to her daughter Jacinta’s surprise. Wild weather and rumours of a jewel thief throw the travellers into turmoil, but something else is giving Alice-Miranda one of her strange feelings. Why does the ship’s doctor look so familiar? And who is the shy blond boy hiding in one of the suites? When Alice-Miranda seeks help from an unexpected source, will they manage to set things to rights in time for the celebrations?

~*~

It’s a new adventure for Alice-Miranda! Aunt Charlotte and her handsome fiancé Lawrence Ridley are getting married aboard the Royal Yacht Octavia, hosted by the queen, Aunty Gee. She’s got her friends, Millie and Jacinta joining her, as well as Sep Sykes and Lawrence’s son, Lucas. It’s going to be such fun having her friend become her cousin! But there’s something odd going on. Some of the adult staff don’t want the kids around, and there’s a shy, blond stowaway with his own secrets. Is what he wants connected to someone from the past? Alice-Miranda is getting one of her strange feelings. The ship’s doctor looks familiar too, and there seems to be something nefarious afoot. Something that Alice-Miranda hopes she can stop in time for the celebrations to go ahead.

All aboard for the wedding of the year! Let’s head out from Barcelona to Venice for a cruise, mystery and wedding. It’s going to be a trip filled with fun, and Alice-Miranda and her friends have the run of the ship. They’re uncovering all sorts of mysteries from guests not wanting to come out of their rooms, people not wanting to let go of a suitcase, and rumours of a jewel thief. Then there’s Jacinta’s mother, Ambrosia. But whether she spends any time with her daughter is yet to be seen. The fourth outing of Alice-Miranda is so much fun, and takes the characters and readers to a new setting. A mystery on a boat is bit like a closed room mystery, where everything happens in one place, and everyone involved is trying to solve it, or keep secrets.

These early books appear to be continuing to develop a few plots and threads, interlinked but this is also a series where things are hinted at or explained in subsequent books. So I was able to read some of the later ones first, and then go back to fill in the gaps. Reading books two – eighteen in order is a lot of fun. The fourth book allows readers to get to know the characters better, explore what they enjoy, and see how Alice-Miranda’s strange feelings end up saving the day. Setting this one on a boat allows her world to grow and be expanded beyond Highton Hall and the school, which feels like it is supposed to be in England. This time, the exploration of Europe by water is lots of fun, imagining the route they are taking, and what they might see along the way.

The action on board is intriguing, with lots of layers to unpack, lots of threads to bring together as the story goes on, and friendships to be made along the way. If anyone can bring it all together, Alice-Miranda can! Everything in this book and series flows well, and I think Alice-Miranda’s adventures are fun and educational. It’s a series where we’re getting to see her grow up as well, seeing how she adapts to different environments. She’s got bravery and joy, as well as a sense of self that makes her shine as the story progresses, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the rest of the series.