Saying goodbye to the
sharks on the last day of summer is a ritual for
Fidelia Quail. She has studied her favorite fish for
eleven years – her whole life. But this year, the
sharks just aren’t cooperating. Not a single one is
anywhere to be found, even though Fidelia entices them
with their favorite chum. While she hopes and waits,
her parents are down below in the submersible Fidelia
invented. They are famous oceanographers who study the
fish and flora of the nine seas. Fidelia is on the
research boat, tagging fish and watching the Undertow
– the deadly winter storms – approach.
Still, there’s time to
make it back to the safety of Arborley Harbor. Her
parents agree to ten more minutes, which turns out to
be good because that’s when the biggest shark Fidelia
has ever seen appears. Not only is his size a
surprise, but it’s a totally new species! She names
him “Grizzle” because of the scar on his dorsal fin,
and if she can tag him, she will become famous. Aside
from getting to decide on Grizzle’s scientific name,
she might even win an award to go beside those of her
parents.
The sea becomes rougher
and time has run out. She misses tagging Grizzle and
radios her parents that she’s heading for home and
will meet them there. But they never arrive. When the
submersible finally washes ashore, it’s smashed to
bits. The loss of her beloved parents hits Fidelia
hard and she blames herself for their deaths. Aunt
Julia, the supreme librarian at Arborley Library
(Fidelia’s new home), is understanding and caring. But
she’s not Fidelia’s mother or father. As the days
pass, Fidelia helps out at the library, but she never
ventures outside, never visits her seafaring friends,
never even opens her journal or cares about sharks.
One day, Aunt Julia tells
her they must go to Fidelia’s house to pack up
everything. The house is to be sold and all the
contents belong to the university that funded the
Quails’ research. Aunt Julia also suggests that
perhaps she and Fidelia should move to the mainland –
a suggestion that means moving away from the only home
Fidelia has ever known. Too upset to think, she runs
from the library, eventually making her way to where
she lived with her parents.
And encounters pirates.
Not just any sea-robbers, but the most notorious
pirate, who is “wanted in thirty nations for robbery,
burglary, arson, murder, jail breaking, and piracy” –
Merrick the Monstrous, Terror of the nine seas – and
his mates, Cheapshot Charlie and Bloody Elle. (85)
They’ve come for Dr. and Dr. Quail, but since they’re
not available, Fidelia will do. They’re kidnapping
her, but if she helps willingly, Merrick promises to
return her to Arborley within a week. If she refuses,
he’s not known for being nice. Fidelia sees no
alternative but to go with her kidnappers, so she
collects the equipment she will need and the pirates
take her to the Jewel,
a pirate ship that has seen better days. Hopefully,
the vessel will get them to where she’s supposed to
help Merrick recover his treasure.
There are just three, no
four, minor problems . . . well, perhaps not so little
really. Merrick has violent coughing spells and is
getting sicker each day. Fidelia has never quite
gotten out the bugs in the Water-Eater – her invention
that should allow her to breathe underwater, but does
not. Then there’s another group of pirates, whose
leader holds Merrick responsible for the loss of one
of his mates. And the fourth complication? Admiral
Bridgewater of Her Majesty’s Navy. This pirate hunter
is particularly determined on capturing and hanging
Merrick the Monstrous. He’s come close several times
in the past, but each time Merrick has foiled his
plans or managed to escape from prison. NOT THIS TIME!
He will recover Merrick’s treasure and see him dead
once and for all, no matter what!
Written for eight to
twelve year olds, Race to the
Bottom of the Sea is a wonderful scientific
pirate adventure that readers of all ages will enjoy.
Interspersed throughout the present-day story are
brief interludes that show readers how the lives of
Merrick the Monstrous and the other pirates intersect
with Admiral Bridgewater and Fidelia’s family. They
end with quotations from one of Dr. and Dr. Quail’s
many books, Exploring
an Underwater Fairyland, which are tied into
what is recounted. Fidelia is an intelligent, bubbly
girl who must come to terms with devastating loss and
upheavals in her life. As she learns to cope, she also
discovers that sometimes even nasty pirates have good
qualities and that she’s not the only one who’s been
hurt and has regrets. Race to the
Bottom of the Sea is both entertaining and
educational. It’s a great story to read aloud, perhaps
with other pirate fans (like parents or librarians and
teachers; maybe even the principal), or just by
yourself. Even boys will like this Junior Library
Guild selection, even though Fidelia is a girl.
Review
Copyrighted ©2018 Cindy Vallar
Pirates
and Privateers
