Description
Book SynopsisSometimes finding your way home takes more than courage. It takes a leap of faith.
Winner, National Outdoor Book Award Winner for Children's Literature
Winner, Children's Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Books
YA Honorable Mention, Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award
"As the orcas' lives become increasingly imperiled, Marisa unleashes her imagination, her compassion, and her courage. . . Moments close to the orcas are breathtakingly described, accentuating the thrill as the whales breach, sound, and vocalize. Basing her story on actual events, the author has created a poignant novel that vividly celebrates the interconnected nature of all living creatures. Like the eerily beautiful voices of the orcas in the ocean, this book will haunt readers."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Mentyka artfully weaves whale facts through this moving drama about family relationships and the natural world. Though what's outstanding is Mentyka's skill at immersing readers in Marisa's wonderful sensory scenes with the whales that could only come from her own first-hand experience. The parallels between the plight of the whales and Marisa's confusion and anger at her mom reinforce that the answers to all of life's questions can be found in nature. Chasing at the Surface is an unforgettable adventure that takes readers along on a heart-pounding, up-close-and-personal encounter with a pod of powerful orcas."
—Midwest Book Review
Chasing at the Surface tells the story of a young girl's courage and the healing power of nature. After her mother unexpectedly leaves home, twelve-year old Marisa struggles with her feelings of loss and abandonment just as a pod of nineteen orca whales—mothers with their new calves following a run of chum salmon—become trapped in the enclosed inlet near her Northwest home. Marisa’s journey to help the whales find their way home brings her to a new understanding of the assaults humans have had on nature, and the complicated meaning of family and home.
Trade ReviewFeatured in Children's Book Council's Summer 2022 Showcase: Love Makes the World Go Round
"Chasing at the Surface is a beautifully written story of how one girl's connection to the wonder of nature’s wild orcas helps her save both them and herself from life's perils."
—Mary Ruckelshaus, Managing Director, Natural Capital Project, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
"A wonderful book that weaves an exciting and mysterious story about families and whales, and shows the similarities of the social lives of Southern Resident orcas with our human families. Each chapter left me wanting to read more! As someone who has welcomed these whales for much of my life, I hope many young readers will discover and learn about this very special orca community and become interested in learning more about them and work to preserve their habitat and the salmon prey they need to survive for future generations."
—Susan Berta, Cofounder, Orca Network
"A heartfelt story of courage, love and the true meaning of family, Chasing at the Surface moved me to tears and had me cheering for young Marisa in her quest to free a pod of magnificent, endangered orcas trapped in an inlet in the Pacific Northwest."
—Anjali Banerjee, author of Seaglass Summer
"As Marisa learns more about whales, she begins to understand the delicate life-and-death balance facing these creatures of the deep. Her interest and passion for the whales grows, but events take a turn for the worse when the whales become trapped because of human activity. The story comes to a climax as Marisa plays a role in helping the whales escape back into the wild."
—National Outdoor Book Awards
