I enjoyed the uniqueness of this book - it had twists and turns that were unexpected and I found myself invested in all.of the characters. They were well developed with strong stories to tell. The strong female protagonist felt very real (in a not so real world!). Overall, an enjoyable and different read.

My 12 year old daughter has now read this book 5 times and she claims it her favorite book of all time! A ringing endorsement to be sure :-) I also have this title in my elementary and middle school libraries.

I have been an avid reader from a young age. Because I was born after A Wrinkle in Time was published, I have never had a shortage of brainy heroines who save the day. I am lucky enough to be teaching middle school in an age where real women past and present are being recognized for their achievements in fields where men have usually reaped all the glory. While I teach my students about these mostly unsung heroines, I try to entice female students to get more involved in STEM activities.

I think I may have found some motivation with young Fidelia Quail, a young inventor who, while grieving her parents' death at what she perceives to be her hand, is kidnapped by a pirate who needs help finding his lost treasure. This book has everything my younger self... and let's face it, my current self... looked for in a book: a brainy young heroine, a bold adventure, pirates, and it's set in the sea!

I hope my young readers feel the same when the book arrives in our classroom library.

I was pleasantly surprised by the book! There is plenty of action and adventure! I adored miss Fidelia and how much she was engrossed in learning about the ocean. I would want my niece to read this story to have a girl her age to look up to as Fidelia is smart, reliable, and sure of herself. She also takes her studies very seriously and knows more about the ocean that most adults could hope to know by watching the Discovery channel. I also loved how she found her way through the tough situations that she found herself in and learned from her own mistakes.
I loved the pirates and how they were written into the story. Merrick is roguish and sly like a pirate should be! I did not mind the flashbacks because they are written with impeccable clarity. However, it was the reason that I gave the story 4 stars. Flashbacks are my trigger and normally cause me to stop reading because I do not like trying to keep track of past and present. Importunely this is due to reading IT and now I just cannot handle it.
I would recommend this story anyone who likes adventure and with a Tween who needs a character to look up to! Thanks for trusting with this story!

Fidelia Quails parents, Dr. and Dr. Quail, are brilliant marine scientists and Fidelia is determined to follow in their footsteps. On the last day of the season, just before fierce storms and foul weather begin to set in, the Quails are out on the water – or, rather, under it, in her parents’ case. They’re inside a submarine Fidelia invented and it’s that invention that ultimately leads to their death. Sadly for Fidelia, pirates don’t care one whit about mourning as Merrick the Monstrous kidnaps her, claiming she’s the only one who can retrieve his treasure from the ocean floor.

While Race to the Bottom of the Sea was a quick read, I never became as fully invested in the story or characters as I had hoped. I know I’m in the minority here, as other readers seem to really enjoy this one. Yay girls interested in science! Yay nasty pirates! I’ll admit I was shocked to learn Fidelia’s parents truly were dead; I assumed they had survived the storm and that they’d make a surprise return at the end. Nope. Bravo to the book for that one.

Pirates, ships, and adventures on the open sea—Race to the Bottom of the Sea embodies every singly one of those elements (and so much more!) and is an action-packed adventure that is a blast to read.

Despite its fun, adventurous aspect, Race to the Bottom of the Sea does start out with a fairly grim beginning when eleven-year-old Fidelia's parents are both killed in a storm while studying out at sea in a device that she invented. I'm always a bit hesitant these days when books use the death of a main character's parents as a starting off point for the story, but I'm glad I decided to read this one. Lindsay Eagar handled the entire situation with skill and a sincere nod to the feelings and struggles that any genius eleven-year-old inventor would have when she is suddenly left without the most important people in her life.

Fidelia is a confident, strong-willed character that I think is a great example for kids everywhere. Fidelia is an inventor and is, as expected, incredibly smart—and she complete owns this. She knows exactly who she is and she's not afraid to back down from those who look down on her because is both young and a girl. I also loved how supportive and engaging her parents were with Fidelia and her endless array of ideas; they knew that she was a capable and extraordinarily knowledgeable girl and they boosted her up as much as possible.

Despite how strong and determined Fidelia is, she's not without her flaws, which of course only endear her to me more. Fidelia is sometimes too confident in her abilities and this also lends to her occasionally speaking out to figures of authority or who power over her when she probably shouldn't. But this is also what makes her so impressive.

This book really picks up when Fidelia is kidnapped by the infamous pirate Merrick the Monstrous, a classically formed pirates who adds so much excitement to this book. Merrick is a pretty merciless guy, but he has a fascinating backstory that really gives motivation to his actions and his current personality. Although the story is mainly told through Fidelia's perspective, there are many flashbacks that provide insight into other characters and their backgrounds, such as Merrick himself.

There are quite a few supporting characters that we are introduced to as well, and I honestly felt a bit overwhelmed by them for a small amount of time when they were first introduced, but eventually I figured out who was who and everything was smooth sailing once again from that point.

Eagar has a flowing, highly entertaining prose tat is both accessibly and engaging. She explains things about the ocean and the knowledge that Fidelia has in such a way that I am able tof ully understand it and also enjoy learning about it.

An interesting thing to note about this book is that the setting itself isn't ever clearly presented. It seems semi-modern at times, but there are plenty of historical influences as well, and the places mentioned are not (as far as I know) real, so there is that element of being completed transported to another world.

Overall, I've given Race to the Bottom of the Sea four stars! I loved the inventive trait of Fidelia, the adventure on the high seas, and, of course, the pirates!

Goodreads Rating: 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4.

I started out a bit uncertain of this book, but the blurb made it sound much too intriguing to give up after just the first two chapters. And I'm very glad I kept with it, since it had a perfect mixture of adventures, pirates, science, inventing, and conflict, both real and emotional.

Although I had most of the plot figured out from early on, I kept reading not only because the writing is beautiful, but because the "how and why" were still not clear, which is always good. I don't mind a general plot point being easy to see if the motivation behind it/for it isn't obvious from the start. I still was anxiously awaiting the final reveal to see exactly how everything ended up playing out, both in the past and the present.

The setting didn't seem to be in a different time period, but rather in a fantasy society and world. The lands talked about all were fictional, with no obvious correlation to any real life places, and the society seems like it's slightly advanced in terms of tech, but still mainly reliant upon traditional ways of living. It's like the 1600s and 1700s in terms of shipping trade and piracy, but set in the early 1990s in terms of technology (which we really only glimpse through Fidelia's inventions, which are pretty advanced for this society).

Fidelia was an excellent role-model and a fun character to get to know. She's an expert inventor, despite only being 11 years old, and is longing for the recognition from the science community for her valuable inventions. She's never whiney, always quick-thinking in sticky situations, and one to learn from her mistakes and from watching the actions of others. While the entire story is shaped by her parents' death at the beginning of the book (not a spoiler, it's in the blurb!), Fidelia deals with her grief by honoring her parents, rather than whining and crying all the time about it.

The villains in this were also excellent, and were truly ones to be sympathetic towards. Merrick has a heartbreaking backstory, which we gradually learn through flashback chapters sprinkled throughout. It's one based in romance, and it's one that I LIKED, that I sympathized with, which is a huge badge of honor for this book, since I rarely care about romance plots at all. Fidelia sympathizes with Merrick's difficult situation as well, even though she learns less than we do throughout the quest, and it brings in additional, inner conflict. Should she trust him? And why *does* she sometimes trust him when he's a criminal?

This novel has it all--adventure, pirates, inventions, a strong role-model, and lots of candy, in addition to lessons about loss, perseverance, and trusting yourself and your actions. Highly recommended, not just for the target age range (middle grade, but I know I would have loved this in 3rd grade... in retrospect it reminded me a bit of "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle", one of two favorite reads from that grade), but for anyone who wants a fun adventure with lots of heart.