Eagar, Lindsay. (2017). Race to the Bottom of the Sea. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
[Eleven-year-old Fidelia Quail must go live with her Aunt
Julia, a librarian who lives above the town library, after her
internationally-acclaimed, underwater biologist parents die at sea during a
powerful storm while exploring in a submarine of Fidelia’s creation. Not long thereafter, while still grieving the
loss of her parents, Fidelia finds herself kidnapped by Merrick the Monstrous,
a pirate, and is forced to help him retrieve a treasure in a cave deep under
the sea. White Fidelia is a strong,
intelligent, richly-drawn protagonist with a gift for invention and inquiry,
while periodic flashbacks cleverly build a full portrait of compassion for the
eccentric, larger-than-life Merrick.
Though it feels slightly overlong at times, Eager provides cinematic
action sequences which play as though you are watching a vivid movie, as well
as a couple of startling revelations which should surprise even the most keen
reader. With an intriguing setting –
which seems to exist in its own time and place – and dynamic characters, hand
this one to those who enjoy broad adventure stories.]
STARTED:
Balliett, Blue. (2018). Out of the Wild Night: A Ghost Story. New York: Scholastic.
[.]
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