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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
It had the funny silliness of graphic novels, but not too much silliness. It had real substance - a mix of happy and sad. Graphic novels are not my favorite type of book to read, but I enjoyed this one!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A dramatic opening - a damaged, sinking ship, the men aboard scrambling to save one another and their marine-science research materials, the captain/lead scientist (Michel) gives up on saving himself and goes down with the ship. An excellent example of the classic grab-the-audience intro.
Five years later - that scientist's daughter is in the care of her uncle Paul - her father's brother and his surviving work partner, who is attempting to continue his research at the institution they founded together; Aqualand. Now the focus of the book shifts to the girl, but the pace is still hectic; she's waking up late, behind on her school project, and has to scramble to cope, since her uncle (a good parent-substitute, evidenced by notes on the fridge, etc.) is distracted and preoccupied. For literature teachers, this is another excellent example of waves of rising tension.
Meanwhile - using the detritus and spare parts of the research vessel, a small group of creatures (a stone crab named Sodapop, one large and one small octopus, and a sea turtle) has assembled a mechanical robot inside the antique aquanaut suit, with the intention to journey into "space" (...meaning land, i.e.; out of the ocean...) to find Aqualand. They emerge onto the beach, thrashing around and trying to differentiate between threats and learn quickly how to interact with the local creatures (humans and pets). Another fresh example of keeping the momentum up, but introducing humor - both slapstick and wacky character-building.
Later that afternoon, we get a deeper layer of dramatic tension - despite Paul's desperate efforts, the institution is now under the control of investors and has morphed into a theme park, exploiting the magnificent creatures they had been studying. Although this plot twist is predictable and often repeated in various story formats (novels, movies, comics, newspapers), it adds depth to the mystery by combining science, politics, economics, and ethics.
The underlying theme (beneath the frenetic action) is made very clear throughout the story and in the backmatter; connecting with and embracing a larger sense of "family" - working together across species and environments to foil the harm intended by nefarious, greedy human beings.
This theme will certainly resonate with many young readers who are already ecologically-oriented, and the delightful and inspiring concept of the sea creatures manipulating technology will draw in readers who might have otherwise leaned toward glorifying technology. All the young readers who have visited marine-themed amusement parks might re-think their experience, which is surely a good thing; those businesses need to be re-examined and held accountable for their management of the creatures they care for.
Only a ridiculous adventure like this could draw in the young people who wouldn't normally care about the emotional lives of zoological specimens on display for their amusement. So I applaud this beautifully-drawn, imaginative propaganda piece!
The plot-holes, discrepancies, and lack of explanation are typical of many adventure movies, so I'm sure most readers will not be bogged down worrying about them but enjoy their own speculation to fill in those pieces.
One touching thing - there is a moment when the Aquanaut calms Sophia by tapping her nose and making a flicking motion. It is dozens of pages later that we see a flashback to Sodapop's childhood, when their parent stone crab does the same thing and explains that to calm down, you can pluck the bad thoughts out of your head and throw them away. On a second reading, we see that Sophia's father had a moment just when he began to drown where he was face to face with the stone crab, and they "connected." Putting it all together, readers might wonder if the soul of Michel Revoy, Sophia's father, might somehow still exist within the stone crab's being.
There is certainly much to think about - and write about, if a young reader needs to do a report or literary analysis - and lots of blue-green water to provide the mental space to do it.
Five years later - that scientist's daughter is in the care of her uncle Paul - her father's brother and his surviving work partner, who is attempting to continue his research at the institution they founded together; Aqualand. Now the focus of the book shifts to the girl, but the pace is still hectic; she's waking up late, behind on her school project, and has to scramble to cope, since her uncle (a good parent-substitute, evidenced by notes on the fridge, etc.) is distracted and preoccupied. For literature teachers, this is another excellent example of waves of rising tension.
Meanwhile - using the detritus and spare parts of the research vessel, a small group of creatures (a stone crab named Sodapop, one large and one small octopus, and a sea turtle) has assembled a mechanical robot inside the antique aquanaut suit, with the intention to journey into "space" (...meaning land, i.e.; out of the ocean...) to find Aqualand. They emerge onto the beach, thrashing around and trying to differentiate between threats and learn quickly how to interact with the local creatures (humans and pets). Another fresh example of keeping the momentum up, but introducing humor - both slapstick and wacky character-building.
Later that afternoon, we get a deeper layer of dramatic tension - despite Paul's desperate efforts, the institution is now under the control of investors and has morphed into a theme park, exploiting the magnificent creatures they had been studying. Although this plot twist is predictable and often repeated in various story formats (novels, movies, comics, newspapers), it adds depth to the mystery by combining science, politics, economics, and ethics.
The underlying theme (beneath the frenetic action) is made very clear throughout the story and in the backmatter; connecting with and embracing a larger sense of "family" - working together across species and environments to foil the harm intended by nefarious, greedy human beings.
This theme will certainly resonate with many young readers who are already ecologically-oriented, and the delightful and inspiring concept of the sea creatures manipulating technology will draw in readers who might have otherwise leaned toward glorifying technology. All the young readers who have visited marine-themed amusement parks might re-think their experience, which is surely a good thing; those businesses need to be re-examined and held accountable for their management of the creatures they care for.
Only a ridiculous adventure like this could draw in the young people who wouldn't normally care about the emotional lives of zoological specimens on display for their amusement. So I applaud this beautifully-drawn, imaginative propaganda piece!
The plot-holes, discrepancies, and lack of explanation are typical of many adventure movies, so I'm sure most readers will not be bogged down worrying about them but enjoy their own speculation to fill in those pieces.
Spoiler
It bothered me, as it always does, that the parent gives up on being rescued, especially since his child is only about 5 years old when his ship goes down, and in the moments he has to keep trying to save himself, with tools and helpers still available to him, he instead writes a totally redundant note and places it in a glass bottle.One touching thing - there is a moment when the Aquanaut calms Sophia by tapping her nose and making a flicking motion. It is dozens of pages later that we see a flashback to Sodapop's childhood, when their parent stone crab does the same thing and explains that to calm down, you can pluck the bad thoughts out of your head and throw them away. On a second reading, we see that Sophia's father had a moment just when he began to drown where he was face to face with the stone crab, and they "connected." Putting it all together, readers might wonder if the soul of Michel Revoy, Sophia's father, might somehow still exist within the stone crab's being.
There is certainly much to think about - and write about, if a young reader needs to do a report or literary analysis - and lots of blue-green water to provide the mental space to do it.
Cute. Sea animals using a diving suit to walk a land turned into a cute little story.
Sophia’s life changed when her father was lost at sea with his research vessel. Now she lives with her uncle, who runs the Aqualand theme park and continues the research he was doing with Sophia’s dad. One day, an old diving suit breaks into the park’s lab, and Sophia discovers that it is manned by four sea creatures looking for a safe place to live. But due to demands of human investors, Aqualand is not the safe haven for animals that the sea creatures thought it would be. Now they must work together with Sophia to save the captive animals at the park.
This was a cute, mid-grade graphic novel. There are obviously themes about saving sea life in the book, but there is a lot of exploration about family, too. It’s a bit jumpy in the storytelling at times, and the characters are a little flat. If it was an adult book, it’d only be 3 stars, but I’ll bump it up to 4 stars because it’s a mid-grade.
This was a cute, mid-grade graphic novel. There are obviously themes about saving sea life in the book, but there is a lot of exploration about family, too. It’s a bit jumpy in the storytelling at times, and the characters are a little flat. If it was an adult book, it’d only be 3 stars, but I’ll bump it up to 4 stars because it’s a mid-grade.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Okay, so yes, there are A LOT of things that need explaining in this book so it isn't perfect. But, I made up my own headcanon to fill in the blanks and to me it works. It was ultimately about family and letting go, and moving on. The diving suit operated by marine life like a robot is just extra.