The Monster Missions, a Middle Grade Sea-venture Review & Content Guide
- MommaSaurus
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Looking for a middle grade book for ages 10+ set in a dystopian world consumed by water with epic battles between survivors, sea monsters and pirates? Check out The Monster Missions by Laura Martin.
Quick Summary
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended Age: Middle Grade (7+)
Possibly Concerning Content* (details below)
🤬 Profanity: None
❤️ Romance: None
🛡️Violence: Injuries no death
‼️ Heads-Up: Creature killing described.
Who is this for?
The Tropes: Waterworld. Kids as heros. Monster hunting. Charting your own course.
The Vibe: High stakes action and adventure at a fast clip.
For Fans of: Nessie and greek mythology creatures like the hydra.
Our Review: Sea Monsters and Pirates, Oh My!
Scavengers Berkeley and Garth think they’ve seen every kind of aquatic creature, but they never expected to find sea monsters.
We really liked this audiobook, narrated by Shaina Summerville. We're on a mission to read all of Laura Martin's book and while Edge of Extinction is still our favorite this was a close second!
Berkley is a resourceful kid whose job is to find scrap beneath the ocean. She is a wannabe engineer, making things out of scrap that she hopes will help her colony. Her best friend Garth is a bit of a loose cannon. He’s been trouble his entire life, according to his mother, but he’s loyal to Berkley. The crew of monster hunters were diverse and interesting as well.
The setting was amazing! In the distant dystopian future, after an event known as The Tide, the earth is submerged (Waterworld style). Colonies have been built on old cruise ships where people spend their entire lives Food and resources are scarce and rationed and the Captain rules all. Those who don’t work to maintain the ship, dive for supplies in the sunken cities below. Occasionally, sea monsters will attack a ship, a fact that is kept quiet to keep people from panicking.
LittleMan really liked how Martin wove greek mythology into the sea monsters’ back story, giving a practical explanation for things like hydra, the creature Poseidon sent after Andromeda, etc.
This was a fast pace survival story with moments of real fear about a young girl who just wants to chart her own course.
Possibly Concerning Content Guide*
🤬 Q: Is there profanity in The Monster Missions? A: No, there is no foul language, swears, or profanity of any kind in this book.
❤️ Q: Is there a romance in The Monster Missions? A: No, there is no romance of any kind in this book.
🛡️Q: What kind of violence is there in The Monster Missions?
A: There are injuries but no characters die. Creatures are killed and ships are destroyed.
Click for details (Possible Spoilers)
The submarine gets swallowed (which happens a lot). They use a saw to get out of the stomach, find a vital organ, kill the monster, and then blast their way out.
‼️ Q: Are there any heavy themes, scary moments, or touchy subjects in Helmer and the Dragon Tomb?
A: No, there is nothing like this in the book.
Official Blurb
"Berkeley and her best friend, Garth, live on an old cruise ship, scavenging for supplies from the drowned cities left behind on the ocean floor after the sea swallowed up all the land. They think they’ve seen every kind of aquatic creature, but they never expected to find sea monsters...
After awakening a Hydra, Berkeley and Garth are sent to live on a submarine, where they study and hunt sea monsters. But the Hydra wants revenge on their home ship—and if it succeeds, their families will go down with it.
Berkley, Garth, and their crew must find a way to save the ship. But monsters aren’t the only deadly things lurking in the ocean’s depths." - From Amazon
Grab your copy
Grab a copy on Amazon*
Grab a copy on Bookshop*
Grab your audiobook on Libro*
📍*Possibly Concerning Content Disclaimer: I try my best to include all relevant content notes, or possibly concerning content, but I may not catch everything and/or you may feel things are concerning that I do not. Please research individually if you’re sensitive to specific topics/subjects! 📍
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