Name: Kathi Linz

Job title: Information services assistant for the Jackson County Public Library

What’s the name of the book and author you are recommending?

I read “Daughter of the Deep” by Rick Riordan.

What made you want to pick up this book in the first place?

I enjoyed reading several of his other books. I went pretty deep into the Percy Jackson series “The Kane Chronicles” and read a few of “The Heroes of Olympus” books. Rick Riordan knows how to tell a good story.

Once you got into the book, what made you want to keep reading it?

This book is a little different than his other books. Most of his books pit humans or half-humans against mythological gods and other creatures. Having done some writing myself, I know many stories begin with a “What if” idea. I can imagine the question that set this story in motion: “What if Jules Verne was telling the truth about Captain Nemo? What if the Nautilus were real, and what if it still exists?” It’s a fascinating premise, and I couldn’t wait to find out how Rick Riordan would steer a story like that.

Once you finished the book, what did you like about it?

I enjoyed watching a high school freshman class (albeit at a specialized marine training school) grow into a brilliant functioning unit. The captain is Ana Dakkar, a 14-year-old descendant of Captain Nemo.

What is the book about?

Jules Verne describes technology in his Captain Nemo books that was unimaginable in his day. It is more possible now. Rick Riordan throws Star Trek-type inventions into this story in a way that pushes this tale to the next level. Imagine cold fusion, cavitation drive (I’d never heard of it before this book), a cure for pancreatic cancer, AI and intelligent insect-shaped drones. Incredible! Two schools have emerged from Captain Nemo’s adventures. One is Harding-Pencroft, where Ana and her older brother, Dev, attend classes. The other is the Land Institute. HP school is a kinder, gentler school, while LI takes a more aggressive approach. Ana’s parents were killed a couple of years ago in “an accident.” Dev knows more of the details than Ana does. You find out what happened as the story goes along. On the day Ana and the freshman class go out to sea for their “finals,” they are supposed to learn more about the high-tech inventions that came down to them from Captain Nemo. It goes wrong very quickly. Land Institute shoots torpedoes to wipe out their school building and all of the unsuspecting people in it. These freshman students, without the training they were supposed to get on this trip, have to overcome their shock at the loss of their school, schoolmates and teachers and defend themselves against an older, better trained class from the Land Institute. The battles grow in intensity until it’s family against family. Throw in a giant octopus, a dolphin named Socrates, a gourmet chef orangutan and an AI submarine, and you have yourself a story on a grand scale.

Why would you recommend this book to others?

I like the way Rick Riordan tells a story. I especially like this one because it’s about people rather than magical beings. The technology is out of this world, but the story is about people who go through real traumas and come out on top. Trust, bitterness and forgiveness are major themes in the story. I read the book on OverDrive/Libby available through the library. You also can borrow it from hoopla. It is available in print versions, as well. The library is celebrating reading and learning with its annual summer learning program. This year’s theme is “Oceans of Possibilities.” Come in, sign up and have a good read — free from your library.