Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie Kingsley
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fishboy's wrong-bus trip is a funny, splashy mess.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In SASHIMI AND THE FIELD TRIP OF DOOM, the super friendly fishboy is thrilled to join his classmates on a tour of Olde Town Barnacle Bay, but after his nonstop jokes wear out his teacher's patience, he's sent back to the bus. There's just one problem: He boards the wrong one, and when those students decide Sashimi doesn't belong, they leave him on the side of the road. His own teacher tries to call his emergency contact, but there's an overblown town reaction when they realize his permission slip was never signed.
A few of Sashimi's classmates try to find him, and encounter constant, ridiculous setbacks: a conniving raccoon, an angry cat, a slug that, when licked causes hallucinations, and his face on posters around town. The search turns up new clues about Barnacle Bay's legendary beast and a wealthy boy on the other bus who looks strangely like Sashimi.
Is It Any Good?
This fishy adventure turns a simple school rule into a gleefully escalating rescue comedy. Sashimi and the Field Trip of Doom moves at cartoon speed, and visual details reward rereading. There's a lot of potty humor but it hits right for a young audience, and Dan Santat slips in some facts about fruit and animals for balance. Sashimi shows a little personal growth with his nonstop antics; he causes chaos but accepts help from others and genuinely tries to be a good friend. His classmates are a steady presence, and he can rely on at least one of the adults in Barnacle Bay to help and support him. This fast-paced graphic novel is popping with color and adventure, and will entice emerging readers to keep turning the pages.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how, in Sashimi and the Field Trip of Doom, some choices turn a small field-trip problem into a much bigger one. What could Sashimi or the adults have done differently?
Have you ever been separated from your group and felt lost? How did you react? What did the group do?
How do you think you'd react to seeing someone who looks so different than everyone you know, the way Sashimi does?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Graphic Novel
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Roaring Brook Press
- Publication date : September 15, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 6 - 10
- Number of pages : 160
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : November 11, 2026
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