Ned loves to swim, but when his friend Jori takes him for a holiday on an island with the deepest waters in the world, Ned is scared. He likes to know where the bottom is when he swims. What if something pulls him down? What if something is hidden in the depths? He wonders if he can enjoy the holiday without swimming out where the water looks black.
Deepwater Blues is a great junior novel which explores how one kid deals with his fears and discovers that overcoming them can open up a whole new world of experiences. Author Claire Saxby manages to achieve this without being preachy or obvious – kids can enjoy the story for its own sake.
Deepwater Blues is part of the new Breakers series from Macmillan Education, suitable for children with a reading age between 8.5 and 10.5.
Deepwater Blues, by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Dave Deakin
Macmillan Education, 2003