Mary underwater /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Inspired by Joan of Arc, a girl builds and pilots a submarine to prove just what girls can do in Mary Underwater , a masterful middle-grade debut from Shannon Doleski.



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.



"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 (Starred Review)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

With her dad out of prison, Mary Murphy, 14, knows it's only a matter of time before he violently lashes out at her again. It feels safer to stay away from home, so she spends her time alone on a cliff, trying to channel the courage of her heroine, Joan of Arc. Her performance in school also takes a beating, as she's unable to focus and is emotionally underwater. Her science grade can only be saved by acing her STEM project with her partner, Kip, the class clown. Together, they construct a working model submersible, inspiring Mary to build a real sub (with help from a retired Navy seaman) that she can maneuver underwater and across the bay. Set in an island fishing village where poverty and affluence coexist, 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. Using incidents from her husband's experiences as a social worker, Doleski offers a realistic, engaging portrayal of adolescents dealing with parental violence.--J. B. Petty Copyright 2019 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

"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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Shannon Doleski was born and raised in Cazenovia, New York. After graduating from Niagara University with an English education degree, Doleski was an English teacher and swim coach in New York and Maryland. She lives with her husband, three children, and beagle wherever the Air Force sends them (currently West Texas). Mary Underwater is her debut novel.