Gracie Under the Waves

Gr 3-7–Inspired by a 2022 trip to Roatán, one of Honduras’s Bay Islands, Newbery Medalist Park sends her latest protagonist into the turquoise Caribbean to visit fish—and learn about the imperative work of reef conservation. Korean American tween Gracie, obsessed with snorkeling, dreams of going to the Maldives, but for now she’s thrilled her parents agree to a family vacation to Roatán. Her precious time in the water dwindles when a leg injury becomes dangerously infected, but she’s buoyed by a new friendship with a local young marine activist-in-the-making. Actor Osmanski, a transracial Korean adoptee, is a spirited narrator, taking advantage of the characters’ international travel to add various accents. She saves her most endearing energy for Gracie’s rambunctious (occasionally aggravating) six-year-old brother Ben.