The Secret Deep

December 9, 2019
After their single mother dies from cancer, orphaned sisters Aster, 13, and Poppy, 11, who are multiracial (their mother was black and Korean; their father was white), are sent from England to live with their aunt Iona, a noted oncologist now living in New Zealand. To their surprise, instead of heading home, Iona takes them to her current work site, Wildhaven: a tech-free ecovillage “in the proper bush,” where she’s conducting “a study of healthy lifestyles” on the teenage residents, largely international students. But after the girls overhear an argument between Iona and a former employee, then experience a strange fever following a routine injection, Aster grows increasing uneasy with their situation. Before she can do anything about her worries, a snorkeling trip turns bizarre. Aster is stranded on a remote island, where she’s hooked up to strange technology and desperate to find her missing sister—and to figure out how her own experience plays into her aunt’s secret agenda. Meanwhile, her New Zealander friend Sam, 14, embarks on his own quest to track down the missing sisters. With this atmospheric debut, Galvin skillfully captures Aster’s surroundings, bringing the islands and deep waters to life while employing a fast-paced plot balanced among adventure, mystery, science fiction elements, and Aster’s emotional struggle. Ages 10–14. Agent: Laura Williams, Greene & Heaton.

January 1, 2020

Gr 4-7-Orphaned after their mother succumbs to cancer, 13-year-old Aster and her 11-year-old sister Poppy travel to live in New Zealand with their Aunt Iona, whom they have not seen in years. They know that she is a scientific researcher, but they are surprised to learn that they will be joining her to live in a remote ecovillage populated by orphaned teens from different parts of the world. After taking a scuba diving expedition with the rest of the village residents, Aster finds herself washed up on an island. As she desperately searches for her sister, she begins to learn the truth about what Iona is doing with her research. Interwoven with Aster and Poppy's story is that of Sam, a young man they met on the flight to New Zealand. Discovering Poppy's phone left behind near a beach, Sam tries to find his friends with the help of Iona's scientific rival. The two story lines merge in a breathtaking encounter that is both disastrous and transformational. It is easy to become engrossed in this compelling story, and Aster is a convincing lead character; readers will sympathize with her grief and her anxieties. They will cheer her on as she grows strong through facing heart-pounding danger and learning to trust herself. VERDICT A thrilling and original science-fiction mystery that will surprise readers at every turn.-Sarah Reid, Four County Library System, NY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2019
Aster wakes on a deserted beach, alone and confused, just days after she and her sister, Poppy, move to New Zealand to live with their mysterious aunt. Aster, 13, and Poppy, 11, are officially orphans. Their dad died in a car accident when Poppy was a baby, and their mom recently lost her battle with cancer. Having no other relatives, the girls travel to New Zealand to live with their aunt, Iona, whom they haven't seen in years because she works all over the world as a hotshot research oncologist. Iona moves them to Wildhaven, a remote ecovillage where she is doing fieldwork. Wildhaven is a research site filled with international students, secrets, and doctors at odds with one another. Following a catastrophic boat trip, Aster wakes up alone on a beach, bewildered. She works to uncover the mysteries of Wildhaven and Aunt Iona and to find Poppy. The cast is a range of races and skin colors--including Aster and Poppy, who are white, Korean, and black--but an absence of cultural markers suppresses a feeling of robust diversity. Character development is weak, so while readers will root for Aster to find Poppy, they won't have a sense of who she really is. However, the depiction of her anxiety and panic attacks both feels authentic and is well written. While the twists are interesting, the information reveal is slow in coming, so they pack less punch than they might. An underwater adventure bogged down by uneven pacing. (Thriller. 10-13)

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December 15, 2019
Grades 6-8 After losing their mother to cancer, Aster and her sister are flown out to their aunt Iona in Australia, who takes them to a mysterious ecovillage. Next thing Aster knows, she's waking up alone on a beach, with no idea where to find the underwater-breathing boy who saved her from drowning. Meanwhile, Sam, who met the girls on their plane to Australia, searches for them, even as his grandpa's worsening condition drives him to make a deal with a doctor that leads to a shocking discovery. Alternating between Aster's and Sam's perspectives, Galvin explores the reality of cancer through Sam's desperation to find a cure and Aster's struggle to work through grief. It's also a story of survival?with Aster battling sharks, facing off with jellyfish, and finding the courage to stand on her own?that weaves in several mystery elements via Sam's investigation into the ecovillage and Aster's search for her missing sister. An emotional journey of strength and grief set on a stunning island backdrop.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)