Mary Underwater

by Shannon Doleski

Overview

Inspired by Joan of Arc, a girl builds and pilots a submarine to prove just what girls can do in this masterful middle-grade debut

Mary Murphy feels like she’s drowning. Her violent father is home from prison, and the social worker is suspicious of her new bruises. An aunt she’s never met keeps calling. And if she can’t get a good grade on her science project, she’ll fail her favorite class.

But Mary doesn’t want to be a victim anymore. She has a plan: build a real submarine, like the model she’s been making with Kip Dwyer, the secretly sweet class clown. Gaining courage from her heroine, Joan of Arc, Mary vows to pilot a sub across the Chesapeake Bay, risking her life in a modern crusade to save herself.

Mary Underwater is an empowering tale of persistence, heroism, and hope from a luminous new voice in middle-grade fiction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419740800
Publisher:	Amulet Books
Publication date:	04/07/2020
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	408,904
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 2.90(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Shannon Doleski is the author of Mary Underwater, which received a starred review from Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, who called it “perfect for readers not quite ready for Laurie Halse Anderson.” She was born and raised in Cazenovia, New York. After graduating from Niagara University with an English education degree, Shannon was an English teacher and swim coach in New York and Maryland. She lives with her family in West Texas. Visit her author website at shannondoleski.com.

Editorial Reviews

"A heartwarming story about submarines, first love, and asking for help when you need it the most. Readers will be rooting for Mary as they learn about submersible science and Joan of Arc."

School Library Connection

**STARRED REVIEW**
"This is perfect for readers not quite ready for Laurie Halse Anderson and anyone who needs a reminder that there’s always hope."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Doleski’s debut features a protagonist who morphs from reticence to courage to overcome adversity as she learns the importance of both self-reliance and accepting support from friends. . . offers a realistic, engaging portrayal of adolescents dealing with parental violence."

Booklist

03/13/2020

Gr 5 Up—This debut novel follows a young girl who decides to build a real submarine. During the day, Mary attends Our Lady Star of the Sea, where she idolizes Joan of Arc, struggles with her relationship with her best friend, and starts getting increased attention from one of her male classmates, Kip Dwyer. Mary also has to face an alcoholic and increasingly violent father, just home from prison. One day Mary decides to build a submarine with the help of Kip and an older neighbor, a scientist. As Mary distracts herself with building, her long-lost aunt and wife re-enter her life and suddenly it seems that things might change. However, everything comes to a head one day and the submarine's fate is threatened. Mary is left asking herself "What would Joan do?" Unfortunately this book aims too high, with multiple undeveloped plots vying for attention. There are pages of Joan of Arc's story interspersed in the book, which only adds more to the book's choppy nature. Additionally, while the main character comes off as young and naive, as the story progresses, her relationship with Kip and her father's violence pushes up against the line of what is appropriate for a middle grade audience. VERDICT While a promising premise, the execution is a miss. Sadly, the author has tried to cram too many plots into one story. Not recommended for purchase.—Elizabeth Portillo, Finkelstein Memorial Library, Spring Valley, NY

School Library Journal

2019-12-08
"Sometimes dragons need to be slayed."

Ever since Mary Murphy's father was released from prison, she's been a ghost in her own home. The strain of trying to avoid the yelling, the violence, and her mother's dejected apathy takes its toll, and she finds herself struggling to avoid her teachers' concerns when she begins failing science. Teaming up with class clown Kip Dwyer, Mary decides to build a remote-controlled submarine for a final, grade-saving physics project. The success of the presentation and growing feelings between Mary and Kip prompt the decision to seek out ex-Navy scientist Ford Wallace and build a "real submersible." When her father's violence turns on the projects and people she loves, however, Mary begins to despair of ever escaping her shadowed life on their Chesapeake Bay island. Doleski draws an empathetic portrayal of an abuse victim; Mary is closed off and fearful, but her fervent determination to free herself from a toxic home situation has not yet been extinguished, placing her in stark contrast to her downtrodden and resigned mother. Her distrust of her social worker rings painfully true, but a strong support system of friends, teachers, and relatives and the memory of Joan of Arc keep her afloat. The teasing, warm relationship between Mary and Kip is a delight, and the submersible plot builds to a thrilling, fraught climax. A white default is assumed.

A ruggedly heartwarming tale of resilience and romance. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews

"Doleski’s debut features a protagonist who morphs from reticence to courage to overcome adversity as she learns the importance of both self-reliance and accepting support from friends. . . offers a realistic, engaging portrayal of adolescents dealing with parental violence."

Booklist

"A heartwarming story about submarines, first love, and asking for help when you need it the most. Readers will be rooting for Mary as they learn about submersible science and Joan of Arc." —School Library Connection

**STARRED REVIEW**
"This is perfect for readers not quite ready for Laurie Halse Anderson and anyone who needs a reminder that there’s always hope."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Doleski’s debut features a protagonist who morphs from reticence to courage to overcome adversity as she learns the importance of both self-reliance and accepting support from friends. . . offers a realistic, engaging portrayal of adolescents dealing with parental violence." —Booklist

"A ruggedly heartwarming tale of resilience and romance."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher