Mary Underwater

GORGEOUS WRITING: The lyrical voice and serious tone will appeal to fans of middle-grade literary hits like The Thing About Jellyfish and Out of My Mind. The hardcover received great praise, including from Kirkus, who called it ¿a ruggedly heartwarming tale of resilience and romance,¿ a starred review from BCCB, and was one of the New York Public Library¿s Best Books of 2020.GIRLS IN STEM: The main character is a female aspiring engineer, and her efforts to build a submarine are realistic and well researched.OVERCOMING ABUSE: The author conferred with a social worker to paint a fully formed portrait of abuse, and the backmatter includes an author¿s note with resources.CHRISTIAN HOOK: Catholic school, nuns, and Joan of Arc lend additional points of interest.