Girl at Sea

June 4, 2007
When Clio was a kid, she invented a popular adventure board game with her father, which allowed them to live an adventurous life that included trips to Peru, Greece and Japan. But after the money disappeared and Clio had a scuba diving accident (her father allowed her to get a tattoo over her scar), her parents fought nightly and eventually “sat down to tell her that sometimes parents don't get along and can't be married anymore.” Now years later, circumstances throw 17-year-old Clio and her estranged father together for another adventure, this time aboard his luxury yacht; he has assembled a strange crew, including his archaeologist professor girlfriend and her cute young assistant, Aidan, to embark on a mysterious expedition. The author masterfully weaves together plenty of plot points, from the unresolved tension between Clio and her father, to the strange attraction between Clio and Aidan, which at times “practically crackled.” Flashbacks to another adventurous father and daughter more than 100 years before add depth to the story and provide clues to the crew's secret mission. Spirited Clio is immensely personable and witty and Johnson (Devilish
) paints her summer at sea vividly, including well-crafted descriptions of everything from a scuba dive through a shipwreck to a touching father-daughter reconciliation. Ages 12-up.