In this story inspired by Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Ana Dakkar, a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy--a five-year high school that graduates the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world--makes astounding discoveries about her heritage and puts her leadership skills to the test against deadly enemies from a rival school.

"The purrmaids' homework assignment is to find something special to bring to class. Will they be brave enough to swim far away from Kittentail Cove and explore Tortoiseshell Reef to find the perfect thing? Or will they be scaredy cats?"--

"It has been centuries since the oceans rose and swallowed up all the nations of men. Now only beasts and unseen horrors lurk below the waves, kept in check by one man: Captain Nemo, in his legendary ship the Nautilus. Until one day, young Arona comes onboard his ship, a stowaway from times long past, giving Nemo his first crew member in years. But as he raises the young orphan in his image, she begins to have questions that ask Nemo to dredge up...

"Leah is changed. Months earlier, she left for a routine expedition, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife Miri knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. As Miri searches for answers, desperate to understand what happened below the water, she must face the possibility that...