The Monster Missions. Laura Martin. 2021 [June] 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]
First sentence: The morning before I left the Atlas forever started the same as every other.
Premise/plot: The Monster Missions is an action-packed premise-driven middle grade adventure novel. Set in a world where ALL the continents are under water, Berkley and Garth are young scavengers on board the Atlas. But when their deep dive goes horribly, tragically wrong, well, their futures look dim. Facing separation from their families, they are given two options: going to a work ship to pay off their so-called debt OR joining the crew on the submarine Britannica. They choose the submarine. But did they make the right choice?
The Britannica has a special mission--a crucial mission--though it is kept hush, hush. The oceans are full of SEA MONSTERS. And it is Britannica's job to research, track, and rescue. Berkley and Garth will receive quite the education...to prepare them for exciting adventurous dangers and thrills ahead. But they may not have to wait long for the thrills.
My thoughts: This one has it all: action, adventure, thrills, dangers. The world building was solid, in my opinion. I'm not sure I suspended my disbelief completely, but, it was so well-paced that I always wanted to keep turning pages.
The genre lends itself to the "boy book" category. Sea Monsters. Pirates. Danger. Thrills. Action. But the narrator, Berkley, is a girl. I think there's plenty for both boys and girls to enjoy.
This one could easily be read by mid-to-upper elementary students. Sensitive readers (who are usually self-aware of their comfort zones) may not appreciate the intensity of the danger and thrills. But for those always looking for a new adventure and are all about action, this one may prove quite satisfying.
As an adult, my favorite line was "I lay in bed a second longer, wondering why beds were always the most comfortable right when you had to get out of them..."
© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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