Nim lives on an island in the middle of the wide blue sea, shared by only her father, Jack, a marine iguana called Fred, a sea lion called Selkie, a turtle called Chica, and a satellite dish for her e-mail. No one else in the world lives quite like Nim, and she wouldn’t swap places with anyone.

But when Jack disappears in his sail boat and disaster threatens her home, Nim must be braver than she’s ever been before. And she needs help from her friends, old and new.

WENDY ORR is the author of Peeling the Onion, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. She lives with her dog and other family in the hills by the sea in southern Australia.