This book has been awarded the Literary Titan GOLD 5 star Award Gloria Barnett’s The Secrets of the Shallows plunges readers into a mesmerising underwater world brimming with life, adventure, and purpose. Set on the idyllic Caribbean island of Pontus, the story revolves around Lucy, a resourceful and spirited young diver who shares her love of the sea with her close-knit group of friends. Their paradise, however, is threatened when a corporation proposes building hotels to attract tourists. As tensions rise, unscrupulous individuals destroy turtle eggs on the beach to fabricate a narrative of marine life decline, further pushing the project forward. Refusing to stand by as their home and its fragile ecosystem face destruction, Lucy and her friends embark on a mission to protect what they love. Barnett’s evocative storytelling stands out as one of its most compelling aspects. Vivid descriptions effortlessly transport readers into the underwater realm, capturing the fluid dance of light on water and the rich biodiversity of the ocean. The narrative structure is tight and engrossing, propelling the reader through Lucy’s challenges while celebrating her bond with her friends. Humour, camaraderie, and the power of solidarity infuse the story with warmth and relatability. Barnett’s passion for marine conservation is evident in every word, fostering empathy for sea creatures and a profound respect for nature without ever feeling preachy. Adding to the book’s charm are supplementary features, including a photo guide to the marine species featured in the story and a detailed illustration of Lucy’s diving equipment. These thoughtful additions enrich the reading experience, making the book not only a compelling narrative but also an educational resource. Lucy and her friends aren’t just brave adventurers— they embody teamwork, critical thinking, and proactive problem-solving. Their efforts to engage the mayor and propose peaceful solutions underscore the importance of collaboration and dialogue in tackling real-world challenges. Gloria Barnett weaves a tale that is both entertaining and inspiring, leaving readers with a deeper appreciation for the wonders of the ocean and the urgency of protecting it. The Secrets of the Shallows is a testament to the power of storytelling to ignite passion, educate, and empower, making it a must-read for nature lovers of all ages. Gloria Barnett is an award winning author, an educator and a real-life explorer.

This eco-focused adventure sees 12-year-old Lucy and friends come together to share in the joy of the local ocean life and fight to save the coastline. Lucy and friends Jack and Solomon love to dive and explore the ocean, working at the Dive centre outside of school. This passion is the focus of our story, introducing us to Lucy as she keeps a student dive safe. There’s plenty of underwater explorations throughout this book for fellow sea lovers, with exciting encounters with a range of different creatures. With a love of the sea and the creatures within comes a focus on where the underwater world meets the land, with concerns about seagrass habitats being damaged by people and boats, protecting dugong from boat propellers and stopping turtle beaches being destroyed. When Lucy overhears plans for hotels to be built on the already protected Turtle hatching beaches, Lucy and her friends work to petition the council to stop it, coming up with their own solutions. But this fight to protect the turtles gets more exciting as they must stop suspicious visitors who’ve arrived to sabotage the beach and destroy this year’s hatchlings. I liked that there was a mixture of Lucy and her friends working together to create a realistic plan to present and stop the construction as well as having a more thrilling direct action in stopping the saboteurs which fits within children’s fiction. The Secrets of the Shallows is an entertaining and exciting read that is also educational about marine life and its habitats. I hadn’t heard of a lot of the animals featured in the book like Dugong, or a Titan Triggerfish, and the photo guide at the end was a great addition to provide information on the animals as well as a photo that can help the reader bring them to life, although colour photos would have been even better to help with this. Although educational and containing a lot of information, it’s all deftly woven into the story in a way that is engaging and entertaining. This is a great book that has a strong eco theme and will suit readers who love the sea and learning about all different kinds of sea creatures.