about the book
For whatever reason, Nere has always felt more like herself while swimming with dolphins, which her mother studies, than in being with other human teens. In her day (sometime in our future) the world above water and on land is not very hospitable, what with the drought, the famine, and the wars. Nere feels stifled in the air, her breath becomes labored, she feels weak, and her eyesight is terrible.
There is a reason for all this. Nere is a “mutate,” one of a dozen children scientifically altered at birth to live a life in the ocean as part of the government’s secret Neptune Project. No wonder Nere feels like she has a sort of mind-link with dolphins: she really does! Her underwater abilities are meant to be used by her and the other mutates to start a new life for humanity under the waves of the sea…
But no one ever asked Nere if she wanted to be in the Neptune Project…and that angers her. Also, the other kids in the Neptune Project are not that stellar. Even if Nere had willingly joined the Project, she is not sure she would like to live with the other mutates.
When the government comes after them to begin more experiments, however, Nere and the others have no choice to but to band together and make it to the secret underwater Safety Harbor, where they were meant to begin their new lives. However, once they make it to the Harbor, it is by no means certain that they are out of danger…
about the author
Polly Holyoke has always loved reading. In fifth grade, she and her best friend wrote what they titled “Rustlers of the High Country,” a book about horse thieves and the two little girls who outwitted them. Never got published, but it did get Polly hooked on writing for the rest of her life.
Growing up in Colorado encouraged Polly to be active. She loves camping, hiking, and skiing in the mountains, and she has climbed 48 out of the 53 mountains in Colorado that are over 14,000 feet in height! That’s a really big deal, because Polly is sort of afraid of heights. Since marrying her husband Polly has also gotten into scuba diving, too, and now she has been diving in water all over the world. She gets a little claustrophobic, though, so lava tubes and shipwrecks are no longer on her diving schedule. Those were some trying times!
Polly has also gone swimming with tame dolphins in Florida and with wild dolphins off the coast of Hawaii. These experiences, of course, greatly inspired her to write The Neptune Project, which features dolphins.
Polly and her husband have six—count them, six!—pets: three dogs, two lazy cats, and a parakeet who is always grumpy.
Source:
Author website
Also by Polly Holyoke:
The Neptune Challenge. Disney-Hyperion. May 2015.
read more!
Above World (Book 1) by Jenn Reese
After centuries of being hidden under the sea, the Coral Campii people in the City of Shifting Tides have developed a problem: their necklace breathing apparatuses are failing, and none know why. The elder Kampii are too afraid to do anything about it. So teenager Aluna and her friend Hoku venture up to the dangerous surface world alone, for answers.
Dark Life (Book 1) by Kat Falls
Many years have passed since the seas rose up and swallowed the lowlands of the world. Now humanity lives either in towering, cramped skyscrapers, or else in the Dark Life, the ocean floor. All Ty’s life has been in Dark Life, but when Gemma, a pretty girl from above the waves, comes into his life, Ty will have to brave the unknown underwater frontier to uncover a terrible secret.
The Walls Have Eyes by Clare B. Dunkle
Though his sister Cassie, the “Wonder Baby” genius child, has been seen to safety, Martin is only beginning his adventure. The totalitarian regime that set up Suburb HM1 underneath its artificial dome is still in place. Martin and his robotic AllDog, Chip, set out to check up on his mother, and end up instead uncovering the secret of the government’s surveillance systems. Now he is a huge target!