The Aquanaut by Dan Santat

Sophie’s dad is lost at sea but her uncle survives. After finding her dad’s sea journal, a misfit band of sea creatures search to find the theme park mentioned in the journal and disguise themselves as an aquanaut. Sophie soon discovers their secret, and they work together to free the captive marine life at Aqualand.

Dan Santat’s animal characters are usually charming, and this graphic novel is no exception, although some of these characters are a bit more earnest than other of his works. The subject matter is also a bit more serious than some graphic novels, for example, the death of Sophie’s death is depicted as he sinks in the water. Also, people may have varying feelings about keeping healthy sea animals in captivity. This could be a good read for a child who is ready to have conversations about the tough topics, but I wouldn’t just hand this book to a child without preparing them as well as following up.

Language:

When the aquanaut comes out of the water, people call it names like “weirdo.”
When not prepared for a class assignment, Sophie says she’s “so screwed.”

Questionable Behaviors:

Sophie threatens to run away.
Sophie and the band of sea creatures break out other animals from Aqualand, doing so secretively.
The band of sea creatures inside the aquanaut have a few physical altercations with a security guard.

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