Julie's dad has a scuba shop, and she is used to helping him out. But when they arrive at the site of their most important dive with their highest paying clients, her dad suddenly feels too unwell to take the clients down. Julie goes in his place, but these difficult clients get too far away from her too fast for her to warn them when something unexpectedly goes wrong. Things get extreme very quickly in this fast-paced, intense survival story. ( )

Literary Merit: Very Good
Characterization: Very Good
Recommended: Yes
Grade Level: 3-8

Twelve year old Julie is spending the summer with her dad and helping him with his scuba diving business. They are heading out for their first big job of the summer with Mr. Jordan and his 12 year old son Shane. The Jordan’s are very wealthy and think they should get everything they want, when they want it. As the dive is about to begin Julie’s dad pulls her aside and tells her that he is not feeling well and that Julie will have to take them down, breaking the number one rule of scuba diving: If it doesn’t feel right, don’t go down.

Once the anchor is set Mr. Jordan and Shane are on their way without waiting for Julie, breaking another important rule: stay together. Once they reach the dive site things begin to go wrong. Julie notices that the anchor, their lifeline back to the boat, is not very secure but there is not much she can do at that point. If the anchor comes undone there is no way for them to get back to the boat. To make matters worse Mr. Jordan and Shane have split up and they are running out of air.

When Julie is ready to begin her ascent the anchor is gone and Mr. Jordan and Shane aren’t ready so she goes up alone to realize she has drifted quite a ways and the boat is nowhere in sight. Eventually Shane and Mr. Jordan surface but things do not look good. They are out in the middle of the Gulf with nothing and Mr. Jordan has the bends.

The trio face dehydration, scorching sun, hypothermia, terrifying storms, shark encounters and so much more as they try to survive, waiting for a rescue party that never comes.

Will they sink or survive?

This was a great fast paced, suspenseful survival story with a strong female protagonist. I would highly recommend this for middle grade readers. Even reluctant readers will enjoy this with its exciting action sequences. This would be great for fans of Hatchet and other Gary Paulsen books. ( )

This is one of the best books I have read since school began. I read it in one sitting. Julie Sims is spending the summer with her father. He has a dive business. Julie has been diving since she was very small. When she gets to her dad's house she realizes his business is quickly going down the drain. He manages to get a client willing to pay his high price. Unfortunately, he can tell from the beginning that this father son duo is going to be trouble. With her father not feeling well and unwilling to cancel the dive, he sends his daughter Julie down with the clients. It is immediately apparent that they don't care about listening to instructions. A series of events leave Jamie, Shane and his father floating in the open ocean. Their dive boat has disappeared. It soon becomes obvious that something has happened and that if they are to survive they are on their own.

This is one of those books where you read about a catastrophic event and think, "wow they made it" things can't get any worse, only to discover that is exactly what this author has done. This is an intense read and one I definitely recommend. ( )