The Kingdom of the Deep

Reviews

My Favourite Books

Elizabeth De Jager, March 2009
This has to be one of the most amusing, wonderfully illustrated and quirky books I've ever had the opportunity to review.
The author, Frank Hinks, has a high humour factor in this little book and I was giggling to myself on the train and at work whilst I was reading it, because, you know, the tongue in cheek remarks by Boris the Skull are just so excellent.
The book is aimed at very young readers and the illustrations are colourful, very funny and eye-catching.  There is an almost "over the top" - ness about the boys' adventures that make you throw caution to the wind and you just have to run with the story as it is that fun and silly.
The dialogue is quick and snappy and the book is a very quick read and will suit reading out loud to an audience.  In fact, it cries out to be read out loud - the action is fast and the characters are very vivid - especially Griselda.
On the surface Kingdom of the Deep appears as frivolous fun and it can be read as such, but there is an important element of the boys sticking together and remaining firm friends through out their crazy-mad adventure.  Family matters!  No matter how improbable the adventure, with quick thinking, team-work and resilience, the boys manage to escape the clutches of Griselda and the denizens of the Deep!

Teach Primary, April 2009 

Fans of the Ramion series will welcome instalment 13 and the return of Snuggle the cat, who once again, is charged with the protection of the three bothers, Julius, Alexander and Benjamin….. The unique illustrations match the surreal and detail laden story, which itself moves at a cracking pace.

Readers' Forum Book Club, South Africa

Robin Stuart-Clark, 30th April 2009
Frank Hinks transports you to a world where good battles evil and evil gives as good as it gets, all with a dose of good humour and no-nonsense dialogue and wonderful, mind-stopping illustrations that make you look and look again.
Hinks has the ability to make his stories and pictures seem so simple on the surface, but between the lines and within his extraordinary illustrations there's a magical world of intrigue and imagination waiting to enchant any reader or listener.

Headteacher Update May 2009 

Wet and Wild: The Kingdom of the Deep
This is the thirteenth book in his Ramion series of self-illustrated magical tales.  Possibly not politically correct, they have a yuck factor that makes them attractive to boys who are otherwise reluctant to read. The dysTalk site for the parents of children with reading difficulties reports that it has found the Ramion books useful.

www.whatson4kidsparties.co.uk May 2009
This wonderful book is the 13th in a series by Frank Hinks and was reviewed by a 6yr old boy tester and his Mum.

“It’s a great story. I really like Boris!” “So do I,” says Mum. “I decided that we would read the book together as X-men and football are normally the things that motivate him to read. I am so glad I did. It was an unusual mix of fast moving events and humour as well as a good dose of adventure while exploring different worlds! The illustrations are eye-catching and my son particularly liked the characters being introduced in pictures at the beginning of the book. Some references are maybe suitable to an older child than a 6 year old but an enjoyable read.”

chopsybaby.com/mag June 2009
The Kingdom of the Deep is book 13 in the Ramion collection. Don’t let this put you off buying it though. The book stands on its own, and no prior knowledge of earlier adventures is necessary.

Chopsy Baby loves this book. We like that it has an illustration and the name of each character at the start of the book giving young readers a visual guide…..

The story is a fun modern fantasy adventure tale. A wicked witch Griselda is persuaded to take a holiday by her magical skull. Despite his recommendations of the South of France, the witch chooses to visit her cousin, and cause mayhem in the holiday plans of three nemesis brothers.

The book is simple, humorous and non-threatening. Some adults still struggle with their own literacy and this book would suit them and their child with its simple blend of fantasy and contemporary ideas.

Bev Callaghan: kidstart.co.uk/livingwithkids September 2009
A beautiful book for the shelf, a really different story with lovely pictures telling the story of three brothers who travel to the Kingdom of the Deep. Some of the humour was lost on the children but it was one that I enjoyed reading and it evoked discussions every time we read it. Small print may put off some children but lots to look at while the book is being read to them. Would buy more books by this author.

havealovelytime.com September 2009-09-30
In The Kingdom of the Deep Boris the skull convinces witch Griselda she needs a holiday. But before she sets off to her Pembrokeshire castle destination, she casts a dangerous spell.

Here, Dylan Garrington, aged nine, tells us what he thinks of the adventure:

“It’s a good book because you know from the start that it is about the deep and you want to know what is going to happen, even though you know it’s in the deep.
My favourite picture is one where the boys are sliding down. It looks like fun.
I like the pictures and especially the skeleton’s eyes. Spells come into it early on and that is good on holiday. I would give it eight out of 10.”

Buy this book from the bookshopBack to the top