Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

 Ana Dakkar and her brother Dev are both students at an elite private school that focuses on marine science. Ana is nervous about her freshman trials that are coming up, a weekend of hands-on tests aboard a school owned ship.  As she and her fellow freshmen are on a bus  ride to meet up with the ship, their seaside school is attacked.  The teacher/advisor with them on the bus hurries them onto the ship anyway, and informs them that the attack was perpetrated by a rival aquatics school. Ana, realing from fear that her brother, her last surviving relative, perished in the attack, finds out that she is a direct descendant of the real Captain Nemo from the book, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  She and her classmates also discover that the Nautilus and all the amazing technology from that story is real, and evil people are after it.

I was excited to see that Mr. Riordan had started a new series, and one not connected to his earlier series.  Although I don't think this new series will make the kind of "splash" Percy Jackson did, it was a solid offering and one that Riordan fans will enjoy.  The story similar to Riordan's other books.  A kid finds out that they have inherited something special from unknown ancestors and is thrust into a situation where they need to save the world.  But in this book, the powers are based on science rather than magic.  The one thing that I think will hamper the book's popularity is that I don't think many kids have read 20,000 Leagues under the Sea or have even seen the old Disney version of it.  What works are Riordan's characters, each flawed, but each one discovering the best inside of themselves.  

One fun note, Ana's side kick, Gem, is a Mormon from Provo.  He scolds people for taking God's name in vein and talks about his missionary brother.  I like to feel that the inclusion of this character in the book was infomed by his visit to Provo Library back in 2012.  I had the opportunity to meet him then and chat over dinner with my fellow librarians.  I am sure someone must have talked about their missionary son, and maybe scolded someone about swearing?  (2021, 352 p.)