Sea Quest 3 – Manak the Manta Ray

Adam Blade's Manak the Manta Ray is a fast underwater beast-battle story for 7 year olds, and it's the third of Max's ocean quests.

What happens

Max wakes up in a giant conch shell at the bottom of the sea, which is not where he wants to be. His dad has been kidnapped by a man he only ever hears called the Professor. Max is hunting him.

To get his dad back he needs the Skull of Thallos. It was stolen and broken up, and Max already has two of the pieces, prised off two mechanical sea monsters he'd rather not think about too hard. They've fused into half a skull that glows blue and, handily, points the way to the next bit.

North, this time. Straight through something called the Forest of Souls.

He isn't alone. Lia is a Merryn girl who can breathe underwater and always knows which way she's facing. Her pet swordfish Spike goes everywhere with her. Max has Rivet, a robodog who talks in short bursts and wags a stumpy metal tail. "Morning, Max. Morning, girl. Morning, fish."

Rivet is the best thing in it, honestly.

The story moves FAST. Max rides an aquabike, Lia rides the swordfish, and they belt over undersea hills towards whatever is waiting. There are lovely quiet bits too. Lia whistles at a black rock and thousands of tiny glowing fish come pouring out of the cracks to light their way.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

It opens with a nightmare where the city breaks apart and Max watches both his parents fall into the sea and disappear, then something with tentacles drags him under and he can't breathe. That's the first three pages, so it isn't a spoiler. It's a dream and he wakes up, but it's vivid. A child who takes bad dreams to bed with them might find that a rough start. A child who's already happy with monster-of-the-week adventures will take it in their stride and be straight on to the manta ray.

One small practical thing. It's an American edition, so your reader will meet "Mom" and "gray" on the page.

What to read next

If they want to know how Max ended up in the ocean in the first place, the series starts with Cephalox the Cyber Squid. That's the one where his dad gets taken, and where Max borrows a submarine he definitely isn't allowed to borrow.