This is probably my FAVORITE book that Martin has written! I love how Waterworld meets the ancient myths of year's long ago in this action-packed story. The characters feel real and their anguish over tough decisions and terrifying events in authentic. A must read for middle grade readers!

I had high hopes for the monster missions, I just found myself a little lost on the storyline. Overall the storyline was fair.

First sentence: The morning before I left the Atlas forever started the same as every other.

Premise/plot: The Monster Missions is an action-packed premise-driven middle grade adventure novel. Set in a world where ALL the continents are under water, Berkley and Garth are young scavengers on board the Atlas. But when their deep dive goes horribly, tragically wrong, well, their futures look dim. Facing separation from their families, they are given two options: going to a work ship to pay off their so-called debt OR joining the crew on the submarine Britannica. They choose the submarine. But did they make the right choice?

The Britannica has a special mission--a crucial mission--though it is kept hush, hush. The oceans are full of SEA MONSTERS. And it is Britannica's job to research, track, and rescue. Berkley and Garth will receive quite the education...to prepare them for exciting adventurous dangers and thrills ahead. But they may not have to wait long for the thrills.

My thoughts: This one has it all: action, adventure, thrills, dangers. The world building was solid, in my opinion. I'm not sure I suspended my disbelief completely, but, it was so well-paced that I always wanted to keep turning pages.

The genre lends itself to the "boy book" category. Sea Monsters. Pirates. Danger. Thrills. Action. But the narrator, Berkley, is a girl. I think there's plenty for both boys and girls to enjoy.

This one could easily be read by mid-to-upper elementary students. Sensitive readers (who are usually self-aware of their comfort zones) may not appreciate the intensity of the danger and thrills. But for those always looking for a new adventure and are all about action, this one may prove quite satisfying.

As an adult, my favorite line was "I lay in bed a second longer, wondering why beds were always the most comfortable right when you had to get out of them..."

The Monster Missions is a story about two friends, Berkley and Garth, living in an ocean-covered future Earth and helping their families by scavenging what they can from the shells of civilization that have long sunk beneath the surface. However, unbeknownst to Berkley and Garth, the waters are filled with legendary monsters…and they’ve accidentally woken one up and made it very cranky.

Banished to a submarine specifically designed for tracking these mythical beasts and protecting humans from them, Berkley and Garth try to make their way in a world of monster hunting they never knew existed.

Berkley is a great female protagonist. Most notably because she doesn’t have to be female. You could have a male character do pretty much all things she does, and no major plotlines would be disrupted. (ie There’s no subplots that revolve around how the boys don’t believe in her or treat her differently.) We need more books like The Monster Missions that are just about girls doing their thing. Books that challenge the idea that “male” is the default character in an adventure story and “female” characters are used only when you are writing a book about “girly stuff.”

That being said, this book could have been more. The setup is excellent, but once it’s over, Berkley doesn’t steer the plot as much as I would have liked for her to. In fact, a large portion of the book is dedicated to (forgive the pun) fish out of water scenes. Berkley is introduced to some new aspect of life aboard the submarine, is shocked and amazed at it (and in all fairness, most of it is pretty amazing), then she is surprised further by how accustomed the seasoned members of the crew have grown to their extraordinary life here. Action scenes abound, and there’s no shortage of moments when the characters are inches from death. I could absolutely picture myself reading this book to my kids, slipping into my super-fast-and-exciting-action-narrator voice, and having them on the edge of their seats. But those events often come to Berkley, not the other way around. Yes, there’s a larger problem that Berkley is trying to solve (which I won’t mention for spoiler reasons), but the moments when we see her actively working towards solving it are few and far between. As the book came towards the end, I could see the seams in the plot and take some pretty good guesses about where it was going. Now, will a middle grade reader see those same things I do? I’m guessing not. And at the end of the day, they’re the target audience for this book, not me.

If you’ve got a reader who loves adventure stories and is captivated by action scenes, this book is perfect. Or even if you’ve got a reader who leans away from action but loves ocean life, this could be a nice segue to a different genre. Certainly worth giving a try. You’ll know by the end of the first few chapters if this is the book for you.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Rounded up to 4 for Netgalley and Goodreads)

Thank you Net Galley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Monster Missions follows Berkley and Garth who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and face to face with a giant sea monster. This sets off a series of events that ends them with a group of people who research and track sea monsters.

It's refreshing to see a female lead in a middle grade fantasy novel and the author definitely gives her a shining role. I can see this being a hit for that reason alone. But while the beginning sets a strong foundation for an exciting premise, the book ended up feeling more like a series of disconnected events revolving around a central topic instead of a fully developed plot. I think it would still be compelling and interesting for middle grade readers (I mean, what kid doesn't love sea monsters), but some of my students may have a hard time staying engaged and invested through all the research and chores around the submarine. For those who love ocean life, mythology, and/or monsters of legend and lore, this would be a great read. This book doesn't lack in cool, weird, quirky, and scary monsters.

There is one part in particular that young readers may struggle with--a scene revolving around a sea monster's nest. The characters are a bit careless in this scene and things are done for the benefit of science that may leave a few kids upset (I myself was bothered by it). Especially after giving such fun characterization to one of the sea monsters aboard their ship.

Overall, I think this book will appeal to older readers in the middle grade demographic and the action packed ocean scenes will have them wanting to read more!