The Deep – Dragon Rider

Finn Black's Dragon Rider is a Deep adventure for 7 year olds about an ocean-exploring family, a pirate submarine and something enormous living in a hole in the sea bed.

What happens

Ant Nekton lives on a giant submarine called the Aronnax with his mum and dad, his big sister Fontaine and his pet fish Jeffrey (who is also his best friend). He's found a strange old metal ball in a kelp forest and spent two weeks secretly cleaning it up. He calls it the Circlotron. Fontaine is not impressed by the name.

It turns out to be a lot more than a ball. Wind it up and it shines a beam into the night sky, tracking the stars. It might even help the family find Lemuria, a lost city they've been hunting for all along.

Then an emergency call comes in. Hot magma is bursting up through the sea floor near a vast blue hole called the Dragon Hole, and it's poisoning the water. Ant is thrilled by the name. Everyone else keeps telling him dragons don't exist.

Before they even get there, pirates snag their propeller. Captain Hammerhead's daughter Mad Madeline dangles poor Jeffrey's tank over an open hatch. Worse, Hammerhead spots the Circlotron.

And yes, there is a dragon. Or something with horns, slimy scales and two rows of needle teeth that Ant ends up clinging to as it bucks through the water. He names it Brian!

It's a fast, noisy read with lots of sound effects (WOOP WOOP WOOP!), and the early chapters keep ending on a jolt. Real ocean science is woven all the way through, like pillow lava, blue holes and ancient sea reptiles. Ant's habit of reading out fun facts drives Fontaine mad, which is half the fun.

There's some peril to be aware of. Fontaine passes out underwater when the acid in the water eats through her air supply and her dad has to rush her back on board. She's fine after an hour on oxygen, but it's a tense couple of pages.

What to read next

If you've got a reader who loves sea creatures, submarines and a family who bicker like real brothers and sisters, this is a great fit. For more of the Nektons, Jeffrey and that pirate captain, try Selkie Warrior next.