First let me tell you that I won this ARC through a Goodreads giveaway. I really enjoyed the book, and might have to at least look thru the finished book to see what pictures weren't in my copy. The artwork that is in the book is really neat, and the story, about Arthur B Helmsley, the grandson of the intrepid explorers Ralph and Rachel Helmsley, centers around Arthur's life. Arthur's family lived at 375 Willow Street, and the story really starts when he is 11 years old. His father is a lawyer, and his mother is busy guarding him from any "tendencies" that would encourage him to follow in his grandparent's footsteps. Hard to keep him from dreaming about exploring, though, when the house they live in had belonged to his grandparents, and is filled with animals and mementos that they had acquired on their many expeditions. His mother Helena basically keeps him a prisoner in the home so that she doesn't have to worry about losing him. His grandparents had disappeared 2 years before when they had left their ship to explore an iceberg. They never did return, and when rescuers searched for them, they had no luck.

Arthur had received some presents from his grandparents prior to their disappearance, and even though he had never met them, he dreamed of following them to the iceberg to see if he could find and rescue them.

Luckily he had a friend, Oliver Glub, and when the new girl, Adelaide Belmont, moved into the house next door, he enlisted their aid.

Between dealing with his overprotective mother, a new teacher who was a nightmare for any child who didn't conform to her ideals, and trying to mount an Antarctic expedition to find his grandparents, his plate was overflowing.

This book highlights the wonders of family and friendship, and would be a great addition to any reader's library. I am sharing it with my grandnieces, and I'm sure that they will love it. They'll have to return it when my great-grandson gets older, so he can enjoy it too.

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