Mary Underwater

Now in paperback, inspired by Joan of Arc, a girl builds a submarine and pilots it across the Chesapeake Bay to escape her abusive father in this gorgeous middle-grade debutMary Murphy feels like sheÆs drowning. Her violent father is home from prison, and the social worker is suspicious of her new bruises. An aunt sheÆs never met keeps calling. And if she canÆt get a good grade on her science project, sheÆll fail her favorite class.But Mary doesnÆt want to be a victim anymore. She has a plan: build a real submarine, like the model sheÆs been making with Kip Dwyer, the secretly sweet class clown. Gaining courage from her heroine, Joan of Arc, Mary vows to pilot a sub across the Chesapeake Bay, risking her life in a modern crusade to save herself.Mary Underwater is an empowering tale of persistence, heroism, and hope from a luminous new voice in middle-grade fiction.