Review for Girl At Sea by Maureen Johnson

Girl At Sea

Author: Maureen Johnson

Publisher:HarperTeen

Source: Public Library

Challenges: For the Love of YA, Library

336 pages

"Sometimes you have to get lost . . . 

The Girl: Clio Ford, seventeen, wants to spend the summer smooching her art-staore crush, not stuck on a boat in the Mediterranean. A least she'll get a killer tan.

The Mission: Survive her father's annoying antics. Oh, also find some underwater treasure that could be the missing link to a long lost civilization.

The Crew: Dad's absentminded best friend Martin, his scary girlfriend Julia, her voluptuous daughter Elsa... and then there's Aidan, Julia's incredibly attractive, incredibly arrogant research assistant.

What's going on behind Aidan's intellectual, intensely green eyes, anyway?

As Clio sails into uncharted territory she unveils secrets that have the power to change history. But her most surprising discovery is that ther's something deeper and more mysterious than the sea - her own heart.

..... to find what you're lookin for.

     I enjoyed 13 Little Blue Envelopes and The Last Little Blue Envelope so I was excited about this book. Maureen Johnson is a good author that can weave a very entertaining read!

 

  Clio was a good main character. You could feel her emotions and anticipate what she might be thinking. I found her annoying and snobby at times (I wanted to shake her and say 'no, stop') but beneath that I could see the hurt she went through. Clio and her father's relatonship was quite interesting... they didn't have a very good one. But, fortunetly by the end it got better. Elsa was Clio I guess 'best friend' on the boat, she is just what a best friend should be. Fun, caring, upbeat and funny. I loved her term 'rubbish'... I thought that was a very fitting term when she used it. But who is my favourite character? Aidan. It seems like the past few books, my favourite characters have been the guys. Oh well. Aidan was caring and sarcastic at times which I enjoyed. The whole cast on the boat I thought was quite the bunch!

 

  The plot was a nice balance. There weren't too many events but it wasn't too slow and boring. There is this one event that happens (actually two) that took me by surprise and made the book exciting. I never do get used to Maureen's writing style though. It's not strange or anything but I'm so used to being instead the main characters head that it seems strange when Maureen refers to Clio as 'her'. But then again, you do get some of Clio's thoughts in there. And the authors writing does flow together quite nice.

 

  Would I recommend it? Sure. I thought this was a great summer read (even though it doesn't feel like summer yet)... and if you're looking for a beach book be sure to pick it up! It is a very entertaining!!
 
Excerpt:
 
    " She was standing straight, so she slumped a little and arranged her face into a mask of minor melancholy. She approached slowly.
"Hey," she said.
Ollie turned. Good reflexes. (He used to do all-terrain skateboarding. Very badly, he said. Very, very badly. Humble as well. Could you ask for more in a man? No. It was impossible. All human wants had been fulfilled in him.)
Which was why this could never work. She had to be dreaming.
"Well?" he said.
"Well . . ." Clio began. "I'm only a junior in high school, and apparently, most Galaxy employees are in college. And I have no retail experience. No job experience at all, actually."
"Oh," Ollie said. His face fell.
"But . . ." Clio went on. "I have this."
She held up her arm, showing the long tattoo that wound around her right forearm: an electric-blue-and-pink zipper with three yellow-and-black stars flying out of the toggle.
"You got the job!" he said.
"You know it!" Clio said, feeling herself beaming. "