The Monster Missions: In a drowned world, Berkeley and Garth hunt a vengeful Hydra from their submarine to save their ship and families

by Laura Martin

A standalone adventure under the sea.

Berkeley and her best friend, Garth, live on an old cruise ship, scavenging for supplies from the drowned cities left behind on the ocean floor after the sea swallowed up all the land. They think they’ve seen every kind of aquatic creature, but they never expected to find sea monsters…

After awakening a Hydra, Berkeley and Garth are sent to live on a submarine, where they study and hunt sea monsters. But the Hydra wants revenge on their home ship—and if it succeeds, their families will go down with it.

Berkley, Garth, and their crew must find a way to save the ship. But monsters aren’t the only deadly things lurking in the ocean’s depths.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Childrens, Adventure, Monsters

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I loved this! I found the whole concept so intriguing! The idea of the whole world being covered by the ocean gives me such claustrophobia for some reason. I LOVE the ocean, & feel the most at piece when I’m near it, but the idea of not being able to get away from something, or not knowing what’s underneath me-much less sea monsters....gives me anxiety lol

I love how the author didn’t make up the sea monsters either. I looked up each one mentioned, & they are all part of existing myths/legends. I loved that, & it made my history researching heart very happy. It also gave me a great visual for each monster while reading. The author says a vacation in Italy inspired this. She saw so many sea monsters displayed in some way or another. And then she visited Venice, the sinking city, that they say might someday be under water thanks to ocean levels rising. Those two things, & her imagine created this book-& yay for that! It’s crazy that the idea of this actually happening in real life, doesn’t seem that crazy of a concept-the ocean covering the world part(however, with only like 10% of the world’s oceans secrets known, I’m not ruling out sea monsters being real lol). We need to take better care of our world.

The author unwraps this story perfectly, & it is such a fast-paced, action packed read. So much danger, suspense, & adventure too. Also, very atmospheric. I felt like I was on the submarine with them, or diving with them. I loved every minute. Such great humor too! I cracked up so many times with Elmer & his antics! The characters are superb. Mr. Weaver & Elmer have my heart though. I loved the ending. It made me so happy, & was a very satisfying conclusion. I think this is a stand alone, but I would love more from this! Highly recommend! Beautiful cover by Eric Deschamps too!💜



Also, I won this in a goodreads giveaway right as it was released! Thank you so much! And no matter how I receive a book for free-whether given to me for review, author giveaway win, or goodreads giveaway win-I am always so thankful, & make those books higher priority reads, & try to read as soon as possible.💜

[Maria Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

[Jared White · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was fairly fun and exciting but the book could have definitely benefitted from a marine biologist doing a look-through. At least 3 of the "giant" monsters are described as being only like 25 feet long. It's almost like they didn't check to see how big/long current ocean creatures are (great whites can be 20 ft, orca can be 26 ft, etc.). A 25 ft "monster" wreaked havoc on a ship large enough to hold multiple families and have a substantial garden growing on deck...such a creature probably would probably be able to barely reach up to look on deck and then a "giant" megalodon that causes substantial damage to a sub is also only 20 something ft. (its thought they could grow to 50 ft.).

I can only suppose that the author meant meter and an ignorant editor thought, "That sounds way too big, she must mean feet!" In my head, I translated all of the foot measurements into meters, and then it wasn't laughable anymore (until then I was imagining these little "monsters" flailing around ineffectively as they tried to mangle these giant ocean vessels).

Also, the author uses the word "poisonous" multiple times when it should have been venomous.

Anyway, I know it's a kid book and, if you can get over those issues, it is an exciting story... but considering many kids are obsessed with dinosaurs, megalodons, and sharks they actually may have more of an issue with these "monsters" being too small than I did.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The oceans have risen and everyone on Earth now lives on ships. There's no such thing as a free ride, so even kids have to work for their keep. Berkley and Garth work as scavengers on the Atlas where they live with their families. But when a salvage mission to get metal scrap goes very wrong, the Atlas is attacked, and Berkley and Garth see something they aren't supposed to know even exists they find themselves being shipped out to a work ship with no chance to say goodbye to their families. At the last second, though, a strange submarine pulls up to the Atlas and Captain Reese offers the two a job on board. They don't have much time to figure out what the submarine does before they have to make a decision, and not much could be worse than a work ship, so they say yes to Captain Reese. Only to find out they've just signed on to work with a crew that investigates very real monsters spun as legends in stories who haunt the deep and works to prevent attacks like the one they just witnessed. Have Berkley and Garth just made the biggest mistake of their lives?

Such a fun concept. Underwater exploration, mythical beasts, pirates, and cranky octopuses. What if the creatures that spurred on legends were real, and humans started bumping into them more frequently when they are driven to spend all their time on the ocean? The submarine crew they join feels like 50% nifty futuristic submarine that Captain Nemo would've been proud of and 50% like an underwater cryptozoologist boarding school. I loved the giant octopus Elmer who frequently steals the show. (If you want a good fiction/nonfiction pairing for this book, check out The Octopus Scientist by Sy Montgomery as you read this.) Berkley and Garth are very different, but both are fun characters to hang out with. I liked that Berkley is a girl who likes to tinker and invent (those looking for girls in STEAM fiction, snatch this one up). Martin did a good job of balancing the world building, character building, and plot pacing. An all around adventurous read with a smart narrator, exciting action, and an imaginative futuristic world.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. There are run-ins with mythical creatures and pirates that results in some injuries (some blood described), but no one is fatally hurt.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see why middle school or junior high kids would like this. There's adventure and suspense, and some ok character development. There are just a lot of details that lack logic and it really bothered me.

[Theresa Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sixth book I have read by this author and I have loved every one of them! Laura Martin has become an auto-read author for me. The Monster Mission is a fun, fast-paced middle grade fantasy full of sea monsters, action and great characters. Can't wait to introduce this to the students at school.

[Molly Grimmius · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2— Laura Martin does not disappoint again with her latest middle grade novel in which the world is flooded and everyone is living on ships. They also have discovered that all those legends of sea creatures are very real and now Berkly and her friend Garth are on a submarine that is studying them and trying to prevent monster attacks. Filled with constant action and clever plots this book reads so fast!

Just sometimes the girls’ inner monologue gets a bit repetitive… yes know re worried about your home ship.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of sea monster adventure goodness--friendship and danger, with an appealing science-minded heroine!

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, creative and action packed. Good middle grade read.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those who like mythical creatures will like this book. There is a lot of action and suspense to pull you in. The challenge for some will be the need to suspend reality and logic. So much that sets up the premise of the story, brings up a lot of questions. In a world completely underwater and where everyone lives in ships - how can they produce the technology, clothing, food, etc. that is used? A few students could not get past the impossibilities. If you can leave logic behind, you will be entertained.

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific action packed dystopian future science fiction story about a time when water covers the earth and people live on boats. Berkley and her best friend Garth help to support their families by scavenging things from underwater cities, but one day, Berkley accidentally wakes up a sea monster. This is a really fun story to read.

[Katrina Forest · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 Goodreads)

Feel free to check out more of my book reviews at UrbanFantasyMagazine.com

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

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..."

[Kelsey Atkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monster Missions
***
There has been a flood and all the world is under water while cruise ships sail about on top with full communities living on board. This dystopian novel is very interesting. The young girl protagonist, Berkley, is a scavenger which is a terrible job on the ship especially for a child. Berkley likes it because it gets her off the boat which is the only way to get off it. The scavengers dive down and scavenge for items that can be used aboard the Atlas: their roving home. Berkley and her best friend Garth are making the drop into the water. Gizmo, their garbage boss, is in their ears following their every move. Everything changes when she drops one of her inventions onto a sea monster. She is an inventor, and with her on the dive she has made a light cube to find her way in the dark of the ocean. The sea monster awakes, strikes, and attacks the Atlas. She spurs into action and thwarts the attack. After, Berkley and Garth were told that they would be relegated to a workshop as they were gagged from talking about the creature. Apparently no one is supposed to know about sea creatures. The other ship is an outfit of submarines that study sea creatures. Both Garth and Berkley are placed on probation to see if they have what it takes to join the crew permanently. Hector is a worker that Berkley becomes close with. Hector thinks the Brittanica should be used primarily to kill all the sea monsters which is an antiquated view. Garth becomes sad as he misses their lives on the Atlas. They are working to study these sea monsters by eventually getting swallowed by them. Both have the aptitude for this kind of lifestyle.

[Caitlin Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monster Missions
***
There has been a flood and all the world is under water while cruise ships sail about on top with full communities living on board. This dystopian novel is very interesting. The young girl protagonist, Berkley, is a scavenger which is a terrible job on the ship especially for a child. Berkley likes it because it gets her off the boat which is the only way to get off it. The scavengers dive down and scavenge for items that can be used aboard the Atlas: their roving home. Berkley and her best friend Garth are making the drop into the water. Gizmo, their garbage boss, is in their ears following their every move. Everything changes when she drops one of her inventions onto a sea monster. She is an inventor, and with her on the dive she has made a light cube to find her way in the dark of the ocean. The sea monster awakes, strikes, and attacks the Atlas. She spurs into action and thwarts the attack. After, Berkley and Garth were told that they would be relegated to a workshop as they were gagged from talking about the creature. Apparently no one is supposed to know about sea creatures. The other ship is an outfit of submarines that study sea creatures. Both Garth and Berkley are placed on probation to see if they have what it takes to join the crew permanently. Hector is a worker that Berkley becomes close with. Hector thinks the Brittanica should be used primarily to kill all the sea monsters which is an antiquated view. Garth becomes sad as he misses their lives on the Atlas. They are working to study these sea monsters by eventually getting swallowed by them. Both have the aptitude for this kind of lifestyle.

[Heike · Rating 5 out of 5]

What it's about: The Tide Rising has covered the earth as we know it with water and submerged the entire world. Plucky 12-year-old Berkley is a diver whose job it is to scavenge flooded houses on the ocean floor for anything useful. She lives on a ship with her family and every little bit of metal she finds helps keep the vessel afloat.
Then one day during a dive, she gets attacked by a vicious, giant sea monster - something she had no idea even existed. But things get even weirder: Since their existence is supposed to be swept under the rug, Berkley is removed from her home and ends up with a crew who hunt and study sea creatures for a living.
Homesick and shaken, she tries to adjust to her new life with no real idea about the wonderful and terrifying things that the mysterious ocean still has in store for her.

I am not one to gush easily, but boy did I love this book - I read it extra slowly, because I wanted to stay in Berkley's world for as long as possible. I found the idea of earth covered in water super-intriguing, especially since the consequences for humanity are explored in depth and well thought out. The author has a strong and unique voice in Berkley that I just keep wanting to follow around and also does a wonderful job with the minor characters - Tank and Elmer especially touched me and made me laugh (I'm not going to tell you what they are though). This was fascinating all around and such an enjoyable read.

I want to urge all of you to GO.READ.THIS.NOW - I just ordered the author's other books and cannot wait to read them as well.

[Jamie Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is covered in water. There are no land-masses, no land animals, nothing but the sea and fish. Everyone lives on boats or submarines. They scavenge the flooded lands for goods, and Berkley and Garth nearly get eaten by a true sea monster, a hydra, on one scavenging mission. Berkley is an inventor, always trying to find ways to make their life on the water easier, but no one on her home ship, Atlas, understands, not even her best friend, Garth. After the attack, Atlas's captain is going to ship them off to a work ship to keep them silent about the attack and let their families believed they died. However, a submarine that hunts sea monsters wants their help and they are instrumental in research, invention, and saving the lives of those on the sub and Atlas. A thrilling ride from start to finish with an interesting dystopian premise. The characters are unique and each has their own roles to play - Berkley the inventor, Garth the true scavenger. The only issue I had with the book was not knowing how or why the entire earth flooded. Perhaps that might come into play if there is a second book. Well worth the read.

[Mary Hanna Wilson | Read with Ms. Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world changed when the ocean rise covered all of the lands. Now Berkeley and her best friend, Garth, live with their families on an old cruise ship. They are both scavengers for the ship, diving to the covered cities to find usable supplies. Life is predictable and routine until one day they discover that there is more beneath the ocean depths than they have been told.

If you are looking for an enjoyable dystopian sci-fi read for middle schoolers, then look no further. This book had me hooked right from the start and I absolutely loved the ride. I enjoyed the way the author used sea monsters from myths and legends and brought them to life in this story. As soon as I finished this one, I handed it to my 14-year-old and 12-year-old kids to read next.

***SPOILER BELOW***

NOTE: If you have a sensitive reader, preview the first few chapters. If they can handle reading about the first encounter with the Hydra then they are probably fine to read the whole book. The is one example of the tense moments with sea monsters (and sea pirates later) in this book.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty enjoyable. I listened to the audiobook and will admit I was not a huge fan of the narrator, but she wasn't bad.
The story itself was great, I do wish there was a sequel as I would love to hear more about Berkeley's adventures. That being said, the story did wrap up well and all "problems" were solved.
I loved Elmer, he was great, and I feel like he understood a lot more than he was given credit for.
It was well paced, and I kept wanting to listen to more, to hear what happened next. Exposition was mixed in between as descriptions of the sub and the creatures were given as they showed up in the story. This helped in not letting the story drag, but also not making it feel like a constant rush. Nor did it create a situation where the reader had such vague images that they couldn't picture the creatures, sub, or other characters.
I think this was definitely a fun adventure story that I would recommend to kids.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I do with most books, I listened to the audiobook. Had I just read the book, this may have warranted 3* instead of 2*. The narrator's natural voice is fine; however, all of the teens voices outside of the main character were grating. We already know teens can be obnoxious (hormones and whatnot), do they really need to sound like the most annoying people, too? It reminded me of my husband's attempts at trying to sound like the stereotypical nerdy "um actually" crowd. 7 hours of this was just too much.
Even outside of the voice issue, I didn't *love* the story. It seemed to me like the big adventure of the book was supposed to be the pirate takeover, which didn't happen until 2/3 - 3/4 of the way through the book. I would prefer a book that has a consistent level of adventure throughout.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Climate change has caught up and everything is underwater. People live on old cruise ships and scavenge for supplies under the waves.

Garth and Berkley are both scavengers but their life on the cruise ship ends when they encounter an actual monster. They are booted off the ship for "awakening" the monster and recruited for a top secret submarine, where everyone studies monster and helps protect the ships from attacks.

Turns out all those old monster legends are true. People just didn't know they existed because they weren't having to dive deep in the ocean all the time. But the beasts are real and they don't love humans invading their territory. Some of them are even smart enough to seek revenge.

I really enjoyed this book. I like Berkley and her crew on the submarine and the plot itself was a lot of fun. Interesting to think what could be out there...

[Lanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can we get some praise hands for the fact that someone wrote a decent middle grade novel without the hint of romance? There was one brief section where I thought the author was going to add in a love triangle...but she successfully ignored it and kept on.
Overall super fun and engaging. I don't know if it was life changing but it was a clean, fun good time though the idea of earth being covered with water makes me extremely claustrophobic.

[Melinda Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berkeley lives in a world where all the continents are underwater and everyone lives on ships. While diving one day with her partner Garth looking for supplies they encounter a sea monster, a hydra. From then on their life takes a turn and they must protect their home ship from the monsters that live in the sea.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this at first. I judged the book by its cover. But it is action packed and intriguing. In a world where kids have to grow up real quick because of their environment, I thought this book portrayed the life of living on the ocean well. It very much reminded me of Waterworld.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that the author herself acknowledges that this is basically "Edge of Extinction" but with water, because that's exactly what it was. But I could care less, because I loved those books and reading this was like being back in that world!

So, so much fun.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audio was horrendous which is why I took off a star. Who chooses the narrators? The audio made me notice the author doesn't know synonyms for said, even when a character asked a question.

[Joy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to recommending this. I liked Glitch as well. Both engaging,

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh this book was so much fun! I wish Evelyn was old enough for this. Lots of action, lots of emotion and Elmer the Octopus is the best character.

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible. I have no negative feedback. it was just as good as all her other books