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| Cover art by Christian Fuenfhausen and Shane Rebenscheid |
With the second book in the Neptune trilogy, The Neptune Challenge, Polly Holyoke has written a good versus evil novel that is a perfect read for hot summer days as most of the story takes place in cool ocean waters. The story begins a week after The Neptune Promise ends and is an engaging underwater adventure. This upper middle grade novel features genetically altered children and teens who must rescue their abducted friends from an evil scientist and find important data which will help the oceans. They are accompanied by a delightful pod of dolphins and face danger from humans, sharks and other genetically altered beings. This page turning book was first published by Disney ● Hyperion an imprint of Disney Book Group in 2015 and then in paperback by Little Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette Book Group in 2016. The cover was illustrated by Christian Fuenfhausen and Shane Rebenscheid. Themes of caring, leadership, group responsibility and problem solving echo throughout the story along with an environmental concern. Ms. Holyoke’s detailed descriptions of the sea creatures on the ocean floor and lining the canyons describe a beautiful, fascinating world. The ending is most satisfying.
The Neptune Challenge was short-listed for the Green Earth Book Awards, 2016.
This year’s 12 year olds would have been two years old in 2015 and this compelling adventure will be brand new to them. The paperback version is 340 pages long .There are some deaths in the novel.
Previous posts featuring books by Polly Holyoke:
Interview with Polly Holyoke: The Neptune Project
Visit author: Polly Holyoke
Visit Greg Pattridge host of: Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Learn more about: Channel Islands National Park, California
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
Habitats, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
Underwater Sound, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
Visit your local book store: Off the Beaten Path
