Goosebumps 19 – Deep Trouble

R. L. Stine's Deep Trouble is a Goosebumps story for 8 year olds about a summer on a research boat, a forbidden lagoon and a mermaid hunt.

What happens

Billy Deep is twelve, and in his head he's William Deep Jr, world-famous undersea explorer. In real life he's snorkelling next to his little sister Sheena, who thinks he's a total dork.

Every summer the two of them stay on the Cassandra, their uncle's research boat. Dr D studies tropical fish. This year they're anchored off a tiny island in the Caribbean, and Billy has one rule to follow. Stay away from the reef and the lagoon.

Guess where Billy goes?

Something with tentacles grabs his ankle. Nobody believes him (Sheena's favourite words are "no such thing"). Then two people from a zoo arrive with an offer for Dr D. A million dollars if he can find a mermaid. Billy hears the whole thing through his uncle's office door and is sworn not to tell his sister.

Billy is such good company. He's boastful and impatient and never does what he's told, but you can't help liking him. His running battle with Sheena is really funny too, all lobster pinches and splashing and name-calling.

Underneath the scares there's a real question to chew over. Is it right to catch a wild creature and put it in a zoo, even for all that money? Dr D isn't sure about it, and Billy starts to have his doubts too.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

Billy gets properly frightened in the water more than once, and at one point a hammerhead shark gets hold of his leg. For a child who's wary of swimming in the sea, it might be one to save until after the holiday! If they're mad about sharks, they'll lap it up.

What to read next

If they enjoy a trip away with a clever uncle, The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb is a great one to try next. Gabe is spending Christmas in Egypt with Uncle Ben, a famous archaeologist, and his stuck-up cousin Sari.