Deep Water

January 29, 2018
Key (Hideout) offers plenty of nail-biting suspense in this survival tale about a deep-sea dive off the Alabama coast that goes horribly wrong. When scuba dive guide Gibson Sims falls ill on his boat, his 12-year-old daughter, Julie, leads two particularly obnoxious clients—Hank Jordan and his son, Shane—into the water. Problems start underwater, and the trio resurfaces to discover that the boat carrying Julie’s father has disappeared. With land nowhere in sight, Julie and
*the Jordans have no choice but to float, hoping to be rescued. Based on a perilous situation Key found himself in at age 16, the story traces how the stranded victims fight for their lives over the course of days, then weeks, as they drift farther and farther from shore. Readers may need to look up some scuba and nautical terms in order to visualize the action, but the story meticulously details the steps that quick-thinking Julie takes to stay alive. Julie’s troubled family history and her changing relationship with Shane are also examined, intensifying the book’s emotional impact. Ages 10–14. Agent: Lisa Erbach Vance, Aaron M. Priest Literary.

March 1, 2018
Twelve-year-old Julie supervises an important dive for her father's scuba-diving business, but she soon learns that when you play against Mother Nature it is for keeps.During the school year, Julie lives with her mother in Atlanta, but her summers are spent with her father in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Unfortunately, although her mother's law career is taking off, her father's dive business is struggling. When a wealthy businessman and his arrogant son, Shane, demand to see the artificial reef her father owns, the money is just too important to turn down. Her father, a diabetic, decides Julie should run the dive, so when the anchor pulls, leaving the three of them lost at sea, it is up to Julie to do what she can to save them all. But sharks, hypothermia, dehydration, and exposure might prove more than she can handle. Inspired by a diving accident the author himself experienced, this is a gritty look at what can happen when everything goes wrong. Julie is arrogant and fearful, but she's also strong and quick-thinking. Shane likewise evolves during the ordeal, but it is the beautiful, terrible, and dangerous Mother Nature who steals the show. Julie is depicted as white on the cover, and the book seems to adhere to the white default.A nail-biting survival tale. (Adventure. 10-14)

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April 1, 2018

Gr 4-7-A gripping tale of survival in the open water of the Gulf Coast. Twelve-year-old Julie Sims spends her summers helping her father run his dive shop in Alabama. When Julie's father rediscovers a secret artificial reef, he and Julie are excited to take clients out for dives. Their first clients are the wealthy, entitled Mr. Jordan and his spoiled son Shane. When Julie's dad, a diabetic, feels too ill to dive, they decide Julie will supervise the Jordans, breaking the first rule of scuba diving: if it doesn't feel right, don't go down. When the boat's anchor gives way, Julie, Mr. Jordan, and Shane are left stranded. Key's novel is fast-paced and action-packed. The short chapters and escalating events will entice and entertain fans of the survival genre. Others may find the characterization flat and the plot overly simple. Some readers may find the scenario or behavior of adult characters implausible or even ridiculous. Despite these flaws, the book offers interesting facts about scuba diving and the Gulf Coast. VERDICT A simplistic yet action-packed survival story; recommended for fans of Gary Paulson and Eric Walters.-Kaetlyn Phillips, Yorkton, Sask.

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