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Deep Water
A middle grade survival story about a scuba dive gone wrong and two enemies who must unite to survive.
It's the most important rule of scuba diving: If you don't feel right, don't go down.
So after her father falls ill, twelve-year-old Julie Sims must take over and lead two of his clients on a dive miles off the coast of Alabama while her father stays behind in the boat. When the clients, a reckless boy Julie's age and his equally foolhardy father, disregard Julie's instructions during the dive, she quickly realizes she's in over her head.
And once she surfaces, things only get worse: One of the clients is in serious condition, and their dive boat has vanished--along with Julie's father, the only person who knows their whereabouts. It's only a matter of time before they die of hypothermia, unless they become shark bait first. Though Julie may not like her clients, it's up to her to save them all.
It's the most important rule of scuba diving: If you don't feel right, don't go down.
So after her father falls ill, twelve-year-old Julie Sims must take over and lead two of his clients on a dive miles off the coast of Alabama while her father stays behind in the boat. When the clients, a reckless boy Julie's age and his equally foolhardy father, disregard Julie's instructions during the dive, she quickly realizes she's in over her head.
And once she surfaces, things only get worse: One of the clients is in serious condition, and their dive boat has vanished--along with Julie's father, the only person who knows their whereabouts. It's only a matter of time before they die of hypothermia, unless they become shark bait first. Though Julie may not like her clients, it's up to her to save them all.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published April 17, 2018
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November 14, 2020
High-octane thrillers are rare in juvenile literature, but Watt Key has a reputation as a transcendent novelist, and he uses his talent for all it's worth in Deep Water. Twelve-year-old Julie Sims has an ominous feeling the day she and her father, who runs a dive shop, take a client out on the waters off the coast of Gulf Shores, Alabama. Her father is a seasoned divemaster and has taught Julie much of what he knows, but he isn't feeling well today, and that's no good for diving. The client is Hank Jordan, a businessman interested in exploring a pair of military tanks Julie's father towed out to sea a while ago and let sink a hundred feet below the surface. Submerged vehicles morph into artificial reefs over time, havens for aquatic wildlife. The tanks promise to be a fertile fishing spot, which is why Mr. Jordan paid four times the usual rate for this dive. The cash influx could save Mr. Sims's dive shop, but Julie has mixed feelings. Not only is her father ill, but Mr. Jordan doesn't seem disposed to listen to instructions, and that's dangerous when you're heading a hundred feet underwater. His son Shane, a schoolmate of Julie's before her parents divorced and she moved with her mother to live in Atlanta most of the time, also resents instruction. At the last minute Mr. Sims bows out of leading the expedition for health reasons, and asks Julie to take the Jordans down. She's never led a dive and doubts Mr. Jordan and Shane will take her seriously, but Julie is in better shape to do this than her father, and he desperately needs the money. She suits up and readies for the plunge.
Below the waves is a dim, surreal world. Sunlight fades as Julie and the Jordans near the seafloor and set anchor for their return trip. Julie's oxygen supply should last well beyond the twenty minutes scheduled for fishing, and the Jordans have "pony" tanks to stay longer if they choose, but from the moment the anchor touches down, Julie senses danger. Up top the current was swift, but she hoped it would be calm a hundred feet down. No such luck: the currents push back on Julie as she moves between the tanks while monitoring the Jordans, forcing her to use oxygen at an elevated rate. The Jordans pay their young divemaster no mind, busy spearing fish in and around the tanks. When Julie checks her oxygen, she panics: it's time to start surfacing immediately, and she'll have to rush. That means risking the bends, nitrogen bubbles in the blood vessels that can inflict permanent paralysis. Leaving Shane and his father to surface when they wish, Julie gropes for the anchor...but it's gone. Without it the current will drag her at a frightening pace away from the boat. Julie swims up through inky blackness toward the surface, conserving oxygen as best she can, and drinks in the sweet air when her head breaches. Now the real trouble begins: the boat is nowhere in sight.
Shane and Mr. Jordan surface nearby, disoriented and scared. Shane isn't hurt, but his father came up too rapidly. Judging from the blood trickling out of his nose and mouth, he has the bends. He can't feel his arms or legs, a sign that his condition is severe, but he, Shane, and Julie all wear BCD flotation vests. The sky is murky and gray, the water rough, waves cresting so high that Julie and her companions must work to keep their heads above water. Julie is aware of the threats to their lives: sharks inevitably taking interest in a trio of half-submerged humans; the lightning storm in the distance that Julie prays isn't moving toward them; the current carrying them out to blue water, over the line between the gulf waters and the ocean, where monstrous fish hunt. Hypothermia may be the most imminent threat of all. Julie can only hope the BCD vests hold out until her father finds them. In waters this vast, the odds are grim.
The scene feels eerily real and immediate, the panorama of a huge sky over your head and opaque water from horizon to horizon, concealing predators as terrible as imagination can conjure. Who knows what killers are inches from your toes, thinking of taking a bite? Julie can't let her mind go there, natural as it is to obsess on what she can't see beneath the waves. She and Shane have to focus on keeping Mr. Jordan conscious. Julie immediately discarded the string of fish he surfaced with, which would attract sharks in no time, but his bleeding mouth and nose will lure any shark in the vicinity. The nightmare goes more extreme as rumbling storm clouds migrate directly overhead, lightning wildly stabbing at the sea in a deafening game of Russian roulette. The bolts briefly render the water transparent, showing hordes of jellyfish all around, and if lightning hits close enough, Julie and the Jordans will be dead.
But there's more in store for Julie, Shane, and Mr. Jordan. Julie can't prevent them from drifting into blue water, but she urges them to swim past the dividing line quickly. They want no part of the aggressive beasts that roam these waters for fresh meat. The appearance of sharks is a matter of when, not if, yet Julie still feels visceral horror when a school of them starts circling in the water, drawn by Mr. Jordan's blood. The sharks are curious, but are they bold enough to take a bite? Julie's father warned her for years that sharks maim and murder without conscience, and her survival may hinge on whether she can defend herself against the initial strike. The longer Julie is stranded in open water, the more her odds of survival drop, but her seaborne odyssey has miles to go before the window for rescue cracks the slightest bit. What can two shellshocked kids and a paralyzed man do against Mother Nature's full rage? And are they about to drift into new perils that will make them beg for a fast death?
Watt Key's storytelling is smooth, atmospheric, and packed with thrills. It takes talent to evoke the fear of even a setting as scary as the deep sea. Deep Water had me feeling like I was in the water beside Julie dreading what horror could be sneaking up on me next. There's substance to the narrative, too. We feel Julie's heartbreak over her parents' divorce a few years back, the dissolution of the core relationship in her life. When her mother had enough of her father's eccentric lifestyle and left, Julie saw how it damaged him. He needs his dreams, but he needs Julie and her mother just as much. Early in the book Julie and Shane are at odds, his attitude grating on her. Why does he think being a rich kid grants him license to ignore her instructions as divemaster? Shane and Mr. Jordan's behavior at the dive site contributed to the crisis that followed, and Julie isn't shy about saying so. But catastrophe shapes us in unforeseeable ways, as Julie finds out bobbing on the cold waves beside Shane for days. "Now it seemed there was no difference between me and Shane. He was a boy and I was a girl, but mostly we'd been reduced to two people simply staying alive. And right there, at that moment, he was the most important person in the world to me. I couldn't think of anything worse than losing him and being alone. And just the day before I'd hated him with all my heart." Surviving a perilous world beside someone you didn't like at all before? That changes a relationship. You don't let go of the person who stands between you and utter aloneness, the final link to a tolerable life...even if theirs is the last hand you ever grasp.
Deep Water could be more thematically substantive, but it's far from superficial, and the story's freewheeling energy makes up for any lack of philosophical complexity. Watt Key had me turning pages at a good clip, and I cared about Julie and Shane on a human level. They're fully formed characters, believable as people and as kids, and that's no mean feat for an author. Deep Water builds and maintains suspense without gore or other objectionable content for young readers, and I wouldn't have been surprised had it won something from the 2019 Newbery awards committee. I enjoyed every minute of this book.
Below the waves is a dim, surreal world. Sunlight fades as Julie and the Jordans near the seafloor and set anchor for their return trip. Julie's oxygen supply should last well beyond the twenty minutes scheduled for fishing, and the Jordans have "pony" tanks to stay longer if they choose, but from the moment the anchor touches down, Julie senses danger. Up top the current was swift, but she hoped it would be calm a hundred feet down. No such luck: the currents push back on Julie as she moves between the tanks while monitoring the Jordans, forcing her to use oxygen at an elevated rate. The Jordans pay their young divemaster no mind, busy spearing fish in and around the tanks. When Julie checks her oxygen, she panics: it's time to start surfacing immediately, and she'll have to rush. That means risking the bends, nitrogen bubbles in the blood vessels that can inflict permanent paralysis. Leaving Shane and his father to surface when they wish, Julie gropes for the anchor...but it's gone. Without it the current will drag her at a frightening pace away from the boat. Julie swims up through inky blackness toward the surface, conserving oxygen as best she can, and drinks in the sweet air when her head breaches. Now the real trouble begins: the boat is nowhere in sight.
Shane and Mr. Jordan surface nearby, disoriented and scared. Shane isn't hurt, but his father came up too rapidly. Judging from the blood trickling out of his nose and mouth, he has the bends. He can't feel his arms or legs, a sign that his condition is severe, but he, Shane, and Julie all wear BCD flotation vests. The sky is murky and gray, the water rough, waves cresting so high that Julie and her companions must work to keep their heads above water. Julie is aware of the threats to their lives: sharks inevitably taking interest in a trio of half-submerged humans; the lightning storm in the distance that Julie prays isn't moving toward them; the current carrying them out to blue water, over the line between the gulf waters and the ocean, where monstrous fish hunt. Hypothermia may be the most imminent threat of all. Julie can only hope the BCD vests hold out until her father finds them. In waters this vast, the odds are grim.
The scene feels eerily real and immediate, the panorama of a huge sky over your head and opaque water from horizon to horizon, concealing predators as terrible as imagination can conjure. Who knows what killers are inches from your toes, thinking of taking a bite? Julie can't let her mind go there, natural as it is to obsess on what she can't see beneath the waves. She and Shane have to focus on keeping Mr. Jordan conscious. Julie immediately discarded the string of fish he surfaced with, which would attract sharks in no time, but his bleeding mouth and nose will lure any shark in the vicinity. The nightmare goes more extreme as rumbling storm clouds migrate directly overhead, lightning wildly stabbing at the sea in a deafening game of Russian roulette. The bolts briefly render the water transparent, showing hordes of jellyfish all around, and if lightning hits close enough, Julie and the Jordans will be dead.
But there's more in store for Julie, Shane, and Mr. Jordan. Julie can't prevent them from drifting into blue water, but she urges them to swim past the dividing line quickly. They want no part of the aggressive beasts that roam these waters for fresh meat. The appearance of sharks is a matter of when, not if, yet Julie still feels visceral horror when a school of them starts circling in the water, drawn by Mr. Jordan's blood. The sharks are curious, but are they bold enough to take a bite? Julie's father warned her for years that sharks maim and murder without conscience, and her survival may hinge on whether she can defend herself against the initial strike. The longer Julie is stranded in open water, the more her odds of survival drop, but her seaborne odyssey has miles to go before the window for rescue cracks the slightest bit. What can two shellshocked kids and a paralyzed man do against Mother Nature's full rage? And are they about to drift into new perils that will make them beg for a fast death?
Watt Key's storytelling is smooth, atmospheric, and packed with thrills. It takes talent to evoke the fear of even a setting as scary as the deep sea. Deep Water had me feeling like I was in the water beside Julie dreading what horror could be sneaking up on me next. There's substance to the narrative, too. We feel Julie's heartbreak over her parents' divorce a few years back, the dissolution of the core relationship in her life. When her mother had enough of her father's eccentric lifestyle and left, Julie saw how it damaged him. He needs his dreams, but he needs Julie and her mother just as much. Early in the book Julie and Shane are at odds, his attitude grating on her. Why does he think being a rich kid grants him license to ignore her instructions as divemaster? Shane and Mr. Jordan's behavior at the dive site contributed to the crisis that followed, and Julie isn't shy about saying so. But catastrophe shapes us in unforeseeable ways, as Julie finds out bobbing on the cold waves beside Shane for days. "Now it seemed there was no difference between me and Shane. He was a boy and I was a girl, but mostly we'd been reduced to two people simply staying alive. And right there, at that moment, he was the most important person in the world to me. I couldn't think of anything worse than losing him and being alone. And just the day before I'd hated him with all my heart." Surviving a perilous world beside someone you didn't like at all before? That changes a relationship. You don't let go of the person who stands between you and utter aloneness, the final link to a tolerable life...even if theirs is the last hand you ever grasp.
Deep Water could be more thematically substantive, but it's far from superficial, and the story's freewheeling energy makes up for any lack of philosophical complexity. Watt Key had me turning pages at a good clip, and I cared about Julie and Shane on a human level. They're fully formed characters, believable as people and as kids, and that's no mean feat for an author. Deep Water builds and maintains suspense without gore or other objectionable content for young readers, and I wouldn't have been surprised had it won something from the 2019 Newbery awards committee. I enjoyed every minute of this book.
November 24, 2017
A huge thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC copy of this book!
Once again, Watt Key has delivered a fast-paced, exciting middle grade book. I have read every one of this author's books and was excited to receive an early copy of this latest one. I love that all his books are set in the Gulf area. Having visited there several times, his books come to life even more. Make sure to read the author's note at the end of the book.
Once again, Watt Key has delivered a fast-paced, exciting middle grade book. I have read every one of this author's books and was excited to receive an early copy of this latest one. I love that all his books are set in the Gulf area. Having visited there several times, his books come to life even more. Make sure to read the author's note at the end of the book.
July 3, 2022
I liked this book a good amount
Not my new favorite but it’s a good book
Not my new favorite but it’s a good book
March 16, 2019
Wow, this was a fast-paced book that is hard to put down - all the way to the end. This is a highly adventurous book of two kids trying to survive on the open ocean after a scuba diving mishap. While it is a book for kids (recommend 4th and above) it kept me so engaged I had a hard time putting it down! There is a lot that can be learned about scuba diving from the story and I found the main characters full of grit and determination. I'll be look for other books by Watt Key!
January 18, 2022
The Survival story is very well done, the danger is palpable and the steps taken to survive logical and well explained. I am somewhat less convinced about the relationships particularly that of Julie's parents, but the bulk of the story is the survival so that does not detract too much.
April 25, 2023
From Bad to Worse
My sister was kind enough to let me pick out a couple of books on our last visit to BAM as an early Easter gift. I selected this one and Iceberg. I didn't plan to finish this on the same day that I started it. In fact, I didn't get anything else done that day but read this. Not a bad way to spend a day off, if you ask me.
Likes:
~ Cool cover!
~I couldn't put it down which always goes a long way.
~Insane what-if survival plot!!
~The friendship between Julie and Shane was great.
~The short chapters made for a quick read.
Dislikes:
~Julie's parents were literally the worst. Mom was negligent and a workaholic and dad was very irresponsible.
~Some points weren't very clear to me and there were a couple of inconsistencies or backtracked statements.
~There was some massive shark hating. I mean, I'd be terrified of sharks too if I was in open water, but it was like every time a shark was mentioned it was described like an evil monster.
~A statement I have to 100% disagree with, is that Killer Whales have compassion. Nope.
~The mild language was needless.
Overall:
~3.5 rating. If you liked the movie Fall, you'll definitely enjoy this!
~Survival enthusiasts won't be disappointed. Recommended for adventurers and thrill seekers.
My sister was kind enough to let me pick out a couple of books on our last visit to BAM as an early Easter gift. I selected this one and Iceberg. I didn't plan to finish this on the same day that I started it. In fact, I didn't get anything else done that day but read this. Not a bad way to spend a day off, if you ask me.
Likes:
~ Cool cover!
~I couldn't put it down which always goes a long way.
~Insane what-if survival plot!!
~The friendship between Julie and Shane was great.
~The short chapters made for a quick read.
Dislikes:
~Julie's parents were literally the worst. Mom was negligent and a workaholic and dad was very irresponsible.
~Some points weren't very clear to me and there were a couple of inconsistencies or backtracked statements.
~There was some massive shark hating. I mean, I'd be terrified of sharks too if I was in open water, but it was like every time a shark was mentioned it was described like an evil monster.
~A statement I have to 100% disagree with, is that Killer Whales have compassion. Nope.
~The mild language was needless.
Overall:
~3.5 rating. If you liked the movie Fall, you'll definitely enjoy this!
~Survival enthusiasts won't be disappointed. Recommended for adventurers and thrill seekers.
December 28, 2021
A decent YA disaster yarn. A quick one-sitter of a read with adequate writing and a decent pace. It's not particularly original and, to the adult reader who has seen or read lost-at-sea disaster fiction, it will be plenty familiar (though I did like the oil rig portion of the book)- so nothing to write home about. But an enjoyable way to spend an hour or two nonetheless.
The narrator, Julie Sims, is remarkable in that she's knowledgeable, gutsy, and tough. Why is that remarkable? Because the author is male, and the vast majority of male YA writers who attempt to write female protagonists (a percentage that is already woefully small; statistics show that female writers employ male protagonists with far greater regularity than the reverse) do so very poorly, with painfully sexist or awkward stereotyping. Julie felt, not like a parody of a girl (omg, but what about her period? Is her hair gross from the saltwater? But what will this boy think about her nails!) but like a person.
The other particularly interesting thing about this book is the afterword by the author, who revealed that, at 17, he had had the exact same scenario happen to him: while scuba diving in the Gulf of Mexico, the anchor did not hold, and he was forced to surface and decompress without the aid of the anchor line. He and his dive buddy were swept out to sea - though, unlike Julie and Shane, they had the good fortune of eventually being swept in front of a fishing boat, which rescued them and transported them back to their boat, cutting their disaster short. That's a pretty unexpectedly good inspiration story.
The narrator, Julie Sims, is remarkable in that she's knowledgeable, gutsy, and tough. Why is that remarkable? Because the author is male, and the vast majority of male YA writers who attempt to write female protagonists (a percentage that is already woefully small; statistics show that female writers employ male protagonists with far greater regularity than the reverse) do so very poorly, with painfully sexist or awkward stereotyping. Julie felt, not like a parody of a girl (omg, but what about her period? Is her hair gross from the saltwater? But what will this boy think about her nails!) but like a person.
The other particularly interesting thing about this book is the afterword by the author, who revealed that, at 17, he had had the exact same scenario happen to him: while scuba diving in the Gulf of Mexico, the anchor did not hold, and he was forced to surface and decompress without the aid of the anchor line. He and his dive buddy were swept out to sea - though, unlike Julie and Shane, they had the good fortune of eventually being swept in front of a fishing boat, which rescued them and transported them back to their boat, cutting their disaster short. That's a pretty unexpectedly good inspiration story.
Read
January 7, 2019Great book.
July 7, 2024
Okay, this was pretty good, minus the two bad words... but I really enjoyed the unique concept, and I'm never going deep sea diving now...so you know...lol...
Characters:
Julie was a great character, easy to relate to in that all she wanted was her parents to be happy. And to survive the situation she was in. Her anger toward the Jordan's and even herself was also handled well.
At first, I didn't like Shane, but by about halfway through, he won me over, and I was rooting so hard for him and Julie to make it!
Language:
Two uses of the a word...one by Shane near the beginning as jack***, which easily could have been jerk. Then, one by Julie as smart*** about 75% through which could have been smart butt, but you know how it goes. Docked a star since this is an MG book.
Romance:
Nope. But I get the idea that Julie and Shane will remain friends for life.
Overall:
This was a really cool story. There was a character death off scene. Later, it mentions that said character drowned, which is true... There were also sharks in the area, though.
I'm not sure what it is with MG survival books and characters dying or getting eaten... but yeah.
Because of the language and the *ahem* death, I'd recommend this book for 12 to 15 year olds, just because I don't like recommending books with language for kids under 12 but a 10 or 11 year old could definitely follow the story...
Characters:
Julie was a great character, easy to relate to in that all she wanted was her parents to be happy. And to survive the situation she was in. Her anger toward the Jordan's and even herself was also handled well.
At first, I didn't like Shane, but by about halfway through, he won me over, and I was rooting so hard for him and Julie to make it!
Language:
Two uses of the a word...one by Shane near the beginning as jack***, which easily could have been jerk. Then, one by Julie as smart*** about 75% through which could have been smart butt, but you know how it goes. Docked a star since this is an MG book.
Romance:
Nope. But I get the idea that Julie and Shane will remain friends for life.
Overall:
This was a really cool story. There was a character death off scene. Later, it mentions that said character drowned, which is true... There were also sharks in the area, though.
I'm not sure what it is with MG survival books and characters dying or getting eaten... but yeah.
Because of the language and the *ahem* death, I'd recommend this book for 12 to 15 year olds, just because I don't like recommending books with language for kids under 12 but a 10 or 11 year old could definitely follow the story...
December 8, 2018
“Deep Water by Watt Key is an exciting middle grade adventure/survival story. Julie Sims and her father take customers out for a deep sea dive, but when they surface they realize that something is very wrong.” – Susan at Plainfield Township
May 10, 2021
Another enthralling survival story by Watt Key! I actually think I like this one a little more than Bottle Creek, but I recommend both. Grades 4-HS.
December 9, 2021
i like the book very good and interesting and messies with your mind a little bit but good.
October 16, 2021
*4.5- This book was pretty dang good! I'm not typically one to read survival novels because I have just never gravitated towards them. However, I read "Terror at Bottle Creek" a few years ago, and I loved it! Therefore, I decided that I would pick up another book by Watt Key in the future. I was so satisfied with this read! I liked the characters. They were interesting, and they did have depth. Not the sort of depth that I'm used to, but they were well fleshed out. I also really liked seeing how the two main characters grew individually and together throughout their experience. This book said just as much about relationships as about survival. I also thought that the plot was good. There was constant action, and there was never a moment when I was bored. The author described the obvious survival aspects of the novel without getting to the point where he made the novel boring. There were moments that I didn't expect, and I was very glad to be surprised more than once. My one complaint is that I never got extremely invested in the story. I obviously cared about the characters and wanted them to live, but I would have liked to be more invested. There were one or two curse words used, but only a few times. There was no sexual content, but there was some violence. Maybe it wasn't violence, but more details of survival that could lean to a gorey direction. I think that this book fits best in the middle-grade category. I think that readers around this age range are set up to like this book more than others. However, I do think that older readers can enjoy this book. I do recommend this book. I really enjoyed it! This book is perfect if you are looking for a quick and action-packed read. I am definitely open to picking up more from Watt Key in the future.
June 9, 2019
12 year old Julie is spending the summer with her dad, helping run his scuba diving business off the coast of Gulf Shores, Alabama. When her dad falls ill while taking a reckless father and son out for a 100 foot dive, Julie must step in as their guide. Something happens on that dive that sets off a turn of events like no other.
Fast paced and action packed, this thriller would be a great addition to any middle grade classroom library.
Bonus: my family & I visited Gulf Shores & Orange Beach this past March, and I loved feeling like I was back there based on the places described in the story.
Highly recommend!
Fast paced and action packed, this thriller would be a great addition to any middle grade classroom library.
Bonus: my family & I visited Gulf Shores & Orange Beach this past March, and I loved feeling like I was back there based on the places described in the story.
Highly recommend!
April 15, 2019
Sometimes I order books from Scholastic hoping to find a really good read; sometimes I do, many times I am disappointed. This book was fantastic. Exciting with short chapters, a female protagonist, and suspense, the book is a page-turner. For several years, there were few new adventure novels...glad to see this one. Though the protagonist is a girl, I think the book would appeal to both girls and boys.
December 13, 2018
It was one of the best books i ever read!
January 8, 2022
Could've had a 5, if it hadn't spent 10 chapters on 1 topic! Could be so much better!
January 21, 2018
@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.
What would you do if you went on a scuba diving trip and everything seemed to go wrong? The most important rule of scuba diving is that if you don't feel right, don't go down. Twelve-year-old Julie Sims knows this, but her dad is in financial trouble and they need the money. They cannot risk losing the money from this dive. To begin with, the customers are one of Julie's sworn enemy, Shane, and his dad. From the beginning they refuse to follow instructions from Julie and her dad. Then Julie's dad gets sick and he cannot take them down to the dive site, so Julie must do it. As soon as they get in the water, Shane and his dad leave Julie and she then realizes that the anchor is not set but there is nothing she can do about it. So when it is time to go back up, Julie cannot find the anchor line to get back to the boat. When she finally surfaces she does not see the boat anywhere. To make matters worse, Shane and his dad surfaced too fast and Shane's dad has the bends. He needs to get to a hospital fast. Can the three of them survive floating in the ocean about fifty miles off of the Alabama coast? Shane and his dad are very mean people, what will they do if Julie gets in the way of their safety? I will give you a warning about this book... once you start reading this book you will not be able to put it down! This book is full of twists and turns, suspense and survival and is a must read for anyone!
I have always loved Watt Key's books because we are both from Alabama. This book is even more special to me because for so many years Orange Beach was a second home to me. Watt Key can weave an amazingly suspenseful story that from start to finish will not disappoint!
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What would you do if you went on a scuba diving trip and everything seemed to go wrong? The most important rule of scuba diving is that if you don't feel right, don't go down. Twelve-year-old Julie Sims knows this, but her dad is in financial trouble and they need the money. They cannot risk losing the money from this dive. To begin with, the customers are one of Julie's sworn enemy, Shane, and his dad. From the beginning they refuse to follow instructions from Julie and her dad. Then Julie's dad gets sick and he cannot take them down to the dive site, so Julie must do it. As soon as they get in the water, Shane and his dad leave Julie and she then realizes that the anchor is not set but there is nothing she can do about it. So when it is time to go back up, Julie cannot find the anchor line to get back to the boat. When she finally surfaces she does not see the boat anywhere. To make matters worse, Shane and his dad surfaced too fast and Shane's dad has the bends. He needs to get to a hospital fast. Can the three of them survive floating in the ocean about fifty miles off of the Alabama coast? Shane and his dad are very mean people, what will they do if Julie gets in the way of their safety? I will give you a warning about this book... once you start reading this book you will not be able to put it down! This book is full of twists and turns, suspense and survival and is a must read for anyone!
I have always loved Watt Key's books because we are both from Alabama. This book is even more special to me because for so many years Orange Beach was a second home to me. Watt Key can weave an amazingly suspenseful story that from start to finish will not disappoint!
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July 30, 2021
If you're looking for an engrossing novel to hand to a reluctant reader and/or one who enjoys scuba diving, action/adventure books, or survival stories, Watt Key just might be your man. An experienced diver, he writes middle-grade outdoor adventure tales. This is the first I've read by him, but DEEP WATER appears to be typical of his work.
The story moves quickly, with danger striking right off the bat. From there, it gets darker, with two 12-year-olds struggling to survive in a tense, life-or-death situation. As they fight off sharks, injury, exhaustion, starvation, and many other problems, they look death in the face, even asking themselves if suicide might be a kinder option for them. DEEP WATER is not a light-hearted tale, but it is a fascinating and engrossing one, with lots of action to keep it interesting.
As far as prose goes, Key is very tell-y, using a bland she-did-this-then-she-did-this writing style. His characters aren't anything special either. While Julie is capable (more so than your average 12 year old), she's kind of a brat. Shane is supposed to be a jerk and yet, I found him the more likable of the two. Part of the problem is that they're not developed enough to really feel real. I did find the duo sympathetic and I absolutely wanted them to find safety, so I kept reading. While I didn't end up loving this one, I did like it. It's exciting, interesting, and satisfying. If I could, I'd give it 3 1/2 stars. Since I can't, I'm rounding up.
The story moves quickly, with danger striking right off the bat. From there, it gets darker, with two 12-year-olds struggling to survive in a tense, life-or-death situation. As they fight off sharks, injury, exhaustion, starvation, and many other problems, they look death in the face, even asking themselves if suicide might be a kinder option for them. DEEP WATER is not a light-hearted tale, but it is a fascinating and engrossing one, with lots of action to keep it interesting.
As far as prose goes, Key is very tell-y, using a bland she-did-this-then-she-did-this writing style. His characters aren't anything special either. While Julie is capable (more so than your average 12 year old), she's kind of a brat. Shane is supposed to be a jerk and yet, I found him the more likable of the two. Part of the problem is that they're not developed enough to really feel real. I did find the duo sympathetic and I absolutely wanted them to find safety, so I kept reading. While I didn't end up loving this one, I did like it. It's exciting, interesting, and satisfying. If I could, I'd give it 3 1/2 stars. Since I can't, I'm rounding up.
August 7, 2020
This book is an excellent read for the middle/jr. high student. The author dives into the action, but uses a series of flashbacks throughout the book to give the characters depth. This realistic fiction is based in Gulf Shores, AL and offers an accurate description without being wordy. The ending is not as realistic as it could be, but would appeal to middle schoolers. The characters are relatable. The novel is fast paced and squeaky clean. Topics include but are not limited to self-sufficiency, responsibilities, parent- child relationships, and triumph though adversity. I teach middle school ELA and this book would appeal to 6-8 graders and is gender neutral.
May 31, 2019
Twelve year old Julie finds herself in a dangerous/stranded situation in the Gulf of Mexico when her father's boat becomes separated from it's divers. The story develops incredible life-threatening challenges and keeps the reader engaged.
October 13, 2021
4.5 Stars.
I read this for battle of the books but it was SO GOOD. I don't think I realized how much I enjoy adventure books until I read this one. I would definitely recommend.
In my opinion you would most comfortably read this at around 10+ (two swear words, small amount of violence)
I read this for battle of the books but it was SO GOOD. I don't think I realized how much I enjoy adventure books until I read this one. I would definitely recommend.
In my opinion you would most comfortably read this at around 10+ (two swear words, small amount of violence)
August 21, 2020
it was really good
March 25, 2022
This was such a great middle great survival story! I enjoyed every minute of it!
September 7, 2022
I bought this book randomly at a scholastic book fair at school when I was in 7th grade but didn’t read it until now. It was in the 7th grade section of the book fair but I will tell you firsthand that this is NOT a book for young readers in my opinion. After reading this book, I can confidently say that deep sea scuba diving is not something I will ever participate in. There was some pretty gnarly stuff in there that happened to them. 😳 however, as an older and more mature reader😌, I quite enjoyed this book. It was very interesting and I found myself unable to put it down because I NEEDED to find out what happened next (which is a sign of a very good book in my opinion). The reading level was very low and it was an easy read but the story was very intriguing and overall I really enjoyed it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2020
I really liked this book! I thought it was really well written and full of surprises. I thought this was realistic and gave me a lot of emotions. I would recommend this to people who like survival books or mostly fast paced books with unexpected turn.
February 21, 2022
First OBOB read. Not quite Hatchet, but a decent story of survival in the face of all odds. Good read for a YA book.
August 26, 2018
I originally picked this up because Watt Key's books were very popular with my middle school readers last year. Then, it was one of the books sent to me in the Scholastic Book Fair Fall 2018 Preview Pack, so I moved it up my list.
This was very good. It is a fast-paced adventure/survival story about a scuba diving excursion gone wrong. The one rule of diving is, if something doesn't seem right, don't go down. But Julie and her dad break that rule multiple times on the dive with the Jordans, a father and son who are wealthy and willing to pay handsomely to visit a secluded reef. Once there, things start to go wrong. Julie's dad is too ill to go below, so Julie acts as guide. The anchor hasn't latched securely and when they surface, the boat is gone. Mr. Jordan is hurt, and the three of them are drifting further and further out to the deep water. How will Julie and Shane be able to survive?
Highly recommend. A strong purchase for collections that have middle grade readers. Give this to fans of Hatchet and other Watt Key stories. This is a great book to hand to somewhat reluctant readers because of how fast it moves and the action sequences.
This was very good. It is a fast-paced adventure/survival story about a scuba diving excursion gone wrong. The one rule of diving is, if something doesn't seem right, don't go down. But Julie and her dad break that rule multiple times on the dive with the Jordans, a father and son who are wealthy and willing to pay handsomely to visit a secluded reef. Once there, things start to go wrong. Julie's dad is too ill to go below, so Julie acts as guide. The anchor hasn't latched securely and when they surface, the boat is gone. Mr. Jordan is hurt, and the three of them are drifting further and further out to the deep water. How will Julie and Shane be able to survive?
Highly recommend. A strong purchase for collections that have middle grade readers. Give this to fans of Hatchet and other Watt Key stories. This is a great book to hand to somewhat reluctant readers because of how fast it moves and the action sequences.
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November 16, 2021good book
April 14, 2018
Another action-packed adventure from Watt Key that will leave you at the edge of your seat. In this story a female protagonist leads us on a survival that takes us from the waters of the Gulf Shores to areas unknown.
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