A 2021 Booklist Editors' Choice

A 2022 Capitol Choices Book

A Best Middle-Grade Book of the Year 2021 – Kirkus Reviews

★ "Beautiful, remarkable, amazing, and wonderful in every way"–Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "An absolute delight . . . An exceptional story that will have young readers longing for the sea.” —Booklist, starred review

★ Publishers Weekly, starred review

Dive below the waves to where the real adventure begins.

Hector lives with his family at the Marina in an Italian coastal town where they organize tourist expeditions to explore the many wonders of the sea. Hector’s dream is to become a deep-sea diver, just like his father. Then, one day, an unscrupulous entrepreneur opens a much newer center next door, forcing them to close their business. This man has a single purpose, to find the legendary Pearl in order to sell it and make money. Hector decides to find a way to thwart the plan and save what matters most to him: the sea, his family, and his dream.