Captain Aquatica's awesome ocean Amazing animals! wild waves! super sharks! the deep sea!

Gr 3--6--The third installment in this series gives readers a mash-up of a textbook and graphic novel that focuses on the ocean and its wildlife. Cramp introduces readers to the Cook Islands, where sharks can easily be found. To understand sharks, though, readers must first understand the ocean, ecosystems, and how humans have affected the sea. The book concludes with how readers can help preserve, protect, and advocate to keep the ocean clean and wildlife safe. Before each chapter of informational text is a snapshot of Captain Aquatica and her friend, Finn, the hammerhead shark, showing readers the secrets and adventures of the ocean in cartoon graphics. The colorful, high-resolution photographs pair nicely with the comic sections, complementing the ocean design that frames each page in blues and purples representing the surface and the bottom of the sea. The text also includes photo captions, diverse scientist profiles, interesting facts, and fun science activities. The table of contents and introduction bookend with the back matter, which contains an afterword, glossary, index, image credits, resources, and acknowledgments (called "credits" in the table of contents). Although the amount of information and the textbook style could be intimidating to young readers, the book can suit a wide range of audiences. VERDICT Readers obsessed with sharks and marine wildlife will especially enjoy reading with Captain Aquatica. Teachers and librarians may want to create lessons or programs based on the activities presented throughout the book.--Hilary Tufo, Columbus Metropolitan Library-Reynoldsburg

An exploration of some of the major features of Earth's oceans, with interspersed minicomic episodes starring the author as Capt. Aquatica and a great hammerhead shark as her sidekick, Finn.This third in the Science Superheroes series is presented by a white American researcher, marine conservationist, and National Geographic-funded "Explorer" currently living, working, and advocating for sharks in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. Chapter by chapter, she and her co-authors describe the connected oceans that cover about three-fourths of our planet. They consider water movements and storms; examine the tidal and ocean zones and ocean floor; explain various ecosystems; introduce some sharks; survey the history of underwater exploration; and conclude with a section on environmental threats and what can be done. Text boxes introduce a dozen marine scientists, male and female, from varying times and places; several are people of color. Numerous photos and diagrams with informative captions also help break up a relatively dense text. Speech bubbles in the superhero comic sections separating the chapters are numbered so that readers can easily follow the conversation. For the most part the information is accurate though not always explained clearly. (Describing tides, the writers state that a water bulge also forms on the side of the Earth farthest from the moon "because of inertia.") The introduction clearly distinguishes the fantasy of the comic sections from the factual exposition.Readers able to navigate a heavy sea of information will enjoy the trip. (afterword, glossary, index, credits and image credits, resources) (Nonfiction. 11-15) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.