Kids Litspace Lists

Ghosts of the Pacific, the fourth volume in the best-selling Submarine Outlaw series, begins with Alfred and his crew of Seaweed the seagull and Hollie the dog undertaking a harrowing journey through the icy gauntlet of the Northwest Passage on the way to the South Pacific. Alfred wants to see those dark places of the earth where horrendous events have taken place. He sets his sights on exotic Micronesia – a beautiful place, but home to the nuclear testing of Bikini Lagoon; the Suicide Cliffs of Saipan; the airfields of Tinian, where the Enola Gay lifted off with the atomic bomb; and the Marshall Islands, which may conceal secrets to the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s final days. Yet even with these past tragedies in mind, Alfred discovers that the world is facing an even greater threat today. As they sail into the hot, hazy world of the Pacific, they encounter the ruthless killing practices of shrimp trawlers and an island of plastic the size of Texas. Along the way, Alfred, Hollie and Seaweed befriend the crew of an environmental protection ship, who help to inspire him to take on a new goal: to protect the oceans of the world.

“[Ghosts of the Pacific] will capture the heart of any explorer, environmentalist, adventurer or history buff. A must for any classroom library, and a real treat for the avid readers in your school!” – Canadian Teacher Magazine

“Roy’s writing keeps getting better and better. He has a fun, original concept. Ghosts of the Pacific is a page-turning adventure with depth. Roy has done his research, and he has a brilliant plot device with which to work. Alfred is a thoughtful, practical, sympathetic narrator. The book is packed with information-geographical, historical, political-but it never feels didactic . . . an excellent series to have in the classroom. Suspenseful, exciting, thought-provoking and fun . . . for any age. Highly recommended!” – CM Magazine

“This is an award-winning series that will appeal to young readers, particularly boys who are drawn to adventure stories. . . . Readers who follow the entire series will see real growth in Alfred as a character-from a single-minded fourteen-year-old who just wants to explore to a sixteen-year-old world traveler who has learned the beauty and dangers of the sea, witnessed firsthand man’s destruction of the oceans, and pledges to do something about it by becoming an environmentalist.” – VOYA Magazine

“Like a great adventure, Ghosts of the Pacific does not allow the reader the opportunity to be distracted or bored. . . . The plot is relentless, always enriched with unexpected subplots, steeped in a multifaceted landscape of cold and warmth, hardness and softness.” – CanLit for Little Canadians

“[Ghosts of the Pacific] will draw in boys as well as girls, and perhaps even reluctant readers as Roy’s writing is clean and simple while the story is gripping and full of adventure.” – Resource Links