Sinking Deeper: Or My Questionable (Possibly Heroic) Decision to Invent a Sea Monster [Paperback]

Steve Vernon (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 1, 2011

The tiny fishing community of Deeper Harbour is in deep trouble—and so is fourteen-year-old Roland MacTavish. Roland's mom wants to move with him to Ottawa, away from his father, his weird friend Dulsie and his even weirder grandfather, Angus. So Roland does what any sane teenager would do: He invents a sea monster. Unfortunately, the scheme quickly spins out of Roland's control, and he has to go to greater and greater lengths to keep up the illusion. And then Roland must deal with a situation far more terrifying than any sea monster.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As filled with warmth and wit as it is with folksy charm. Vernon very ably captures the spirit of this small town with the neigbours who all know each other's business but who also look out for one another like kin. He provides a delightful cast of characters who give the story its depth and heart. Roland's relationship with his grandfather is beautifully depicted and the life lessons that he learns along the way are true nuggets of wisdom. Perhaps the most endearing thing about this book, however, is the voice...An excellent choice to read-aloud!" (Atlantic Books Today 2011-09-01)

"A sweet book...Vernon is obviously no stranger to word play, and humorous writing...Recommended." (Resource Links 2011-06-01)

From the Author

"Whether you read Sinking Deeper as an adventure, a comedy, a story about family and relationships or as a travelogue to a small fishing community, you will not be disappointed. Steve Vernon is a virtuoso storyteller whose voice takes readers to unforgettable places and introduces them to amazing people." - - CM Magazine 

The author nails the voice of a fourteen-year-old boy. Nails it, just about drives it through the pages. - Pass the Chiclets - a kidlit review blog 

This was just a really great, unbelievably entertaining book. - Lavender Lines

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Nimbus Publishing (September 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155109777X
• ISBN-13: 978-1551097770
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,342,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi! I'm Steve Vernon and I'd love to scare you. Along the way I'll entertain you. I guarantee a giggle as well.

If I listed all of the books I've written I'd bore you - and I am allergic to boring.

Instead, let me recommend one single book of mine.

Pick up SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME for an example of true Steve Vernon storytelling. It's hockey and vampires for folks who love hockey and vampires - and for folks who don't!

For more up-to-date info please follow my blog at:
http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpress.com/

And follow me at Twitter:
@StephenVernon

yours in storytelling,

Steve Vernon

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Witty, LOL funny, Yet Deals Well with Some Serious Issues October 1, 2011

By Nicola Manning TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Reason for Reading: I love reading great new Canadian Kids' fiction and who could pass up a title like that!

14 yo Roland MacTavish has lived in the sleepy little Nova Scotian town of Deeper Harbour all his life. His father is the police chief and his mother is the mayor and they've been getting divorced for the last two years. He lives back and forth between the two of them, and also spends time with his two best friends: his grandfather, Angus MacTavish, and Dulsie, a self-proclaimed "punk-goth-freakazoid" who desperately wants a tattoo but whose father won't let her so instead she paints a different tattoo on her face everyday with face paint. Roland thinks Deeper Harbour is the pits until he finds out his mum is moving him and her to Ottawa at the end of the summer because it is a dying town and she wants to see a bit of the world while she's young enough to enjoy it. Roland comes up with an idea to attract tourists to the town, so that it can get revitalized and change his mother's mind and what would work better than for the town to have its very own sea monster. And with the help of his friends and an extra unexpected pair of hands, that's just what he sets out to do.

This is one of the funniest books I've read in some time. The humour is so witty and the circumstances so hilarious I was tittering out loud. Roland is the narrator and he has a wonderful voice and way with words, he tells events in a straightforward manner but with tongue in cheek and a certain sarcasm that his wit makes the scenes and events incredibly funny. While a deliciously witty book the book also deals with some serious issues. Divorce, single parent family, anxiety, living life to the fullest, expressing your individuality in a very small town and, death. There are a few small hints of first novel-itis but the book's excellent plot, characters and humour more than make up for that. A great new Canadian read!

5.0 out of 5 stars bizarre maritime adventure not to be missed! January 29, 2013

By Lynn A. Davidson

Format:Paperback

Sinking Deeper OR My awesome brilliant Questionable Heroic Decision to Invent a Sea Monster could be called hilarious, or it could be called reminiscent of younger days - for those of us who are old enough to have "younger days" and who found themselves in impossible situations, or it could be called adventurous, or ... well, you get the picture. This book is all of the above and more.

Steve Vernon, known for his very creative storytelling, has written this enjoyable story based in the fictional laid-back fishing community of Deeper Harbour, Nova Scotia. His main character, who is relating the adventure, is a fourteen-year-old boy trying to do the right thing, but - as a member of a rather dysfunctional but loveable family - he is persuaded to do the unusual and ofttimes the outlandish, by his two best friends - one being his grandfather!And it's his grandfather who adds the most to the craziness.

The emotional thread is that this teen boy, whose name is Roland, is determined to find a way to stay in Deeper Harbour. His parents are divorcing and his mother has decided to move to Ottawa, Ontario, taking him along. He has to do something to change her mind. What he ends up doing is creating a sea monster, but - through events that grow and grow - what transpires is far greater than anything he ever could have imagined.

I would like to tell you more but I don't want to spoil it for you. What I will say is Steve Vernon included everything - humour, adventure, suspense, sadness, mystery, hilarity, unexpected twists and turns to keep the reader involved, and did I say it's funny? It's funny.

I urge you to add this action-filled, entertaining book to your `to be read' pile. It's great for middle-grade readers right on up to, and including, grandmas. (I very much enjoyed it. :) ) Its short chapters are very convenient when one does not have much time to read in one sitting, but you really won't want the time between readings to be long.

This book has been noticed in high places, and was short-listed for the Silver Birches award for children's fiction.