Monster Down Deep

A missing diamond necklace with a million dollar reward attracts 2 beachcombing children, who instead find what could just be the discovery of the century

An uplifting middle-grade adventure perfect for fans of Jessie Burton, Hannah Gold’s The Last Bear, and books by Katya Balen

I am the one they call the Monster Down Deep.
Except... I am not really a monster. I am just the Very Afraid Fish.

Somewhere off the coast of San Diego, the yacht of billionaire Clifton Royce III has capsized. While most of the vessel’s belongings have been reclaimed, one piece remains lost: a 74-carat diamond necklace, worth over $50 million dollars. And for the person who finds this gem, there is a $1 million reward up for grabs.

No one is more determined to find the necklace than 11-year-old Cassie Stein. Her dad’s beloved aquarium is on the brink of financial ruin, and that money could be the answer to all their problems. Armed with her trusty metal detector, Sylvia, Cassie begins her search.

But while hunting for the treasure, she discovers something that may be even more valuable than the diamond. A fish, unlike any she has ever seen before. One that seems to understand her every word perfectly. His name is Blue, and he desperately needs Cassie’s help.

As news of her once-in-a-lifetime discovery spreads, however, Cassie is torn between two impossible choices: protect Blue and help him find his way home… or embrace the fame and fortune that could change her life forever."It’s a charming middle-grade novel that had me hooked from the very first page. Blue is such an endearing protagonist, and I was rooting for him, Cassie and TJ – and their unique friendship – the whole way through. I loved it!"
—Olivia Wakeford

"I've never been so invested in a fish-out-of-water tale. Absorbing, fun, and wonderfully unique"
—Terry Lynn Johnson, bestselling author of Ice Dogs

"A memorable and compelling adventure about facing long-buried fears while standing up to protect an unusual creature... A treasure of a story!"
—Lynne Kelly, author of Song For a Whale

"YACHT SINKS! JEWELLERY LOST! MASSIVE REWARD OFFERED! From the first boisterous pages, to the last heartfelt ones, Monster Down Deep by Amy Fellner Dominy is a pitch-perfect middle grade. Funny, adventurous, and full of humanity, it turns out, the sparkling necklace the kids are after isn't the real reward, but rather, reading this gem of a book cover to cover is."
—Gae Polisner, author of CONSIDER THE OCTOPUS and SEVEN CLUES TO HOME

"A heartfelt read interspersed with humour and honesty."
—My Shelves Are Full

"If you like stories that make your heart beat fast this book is for you."
—Storm, age 10 Reading2SmileAmy Fellner Dominy is an MFA playwright and the award-winning author of 9 books for children. She especially loves stories that celebrate kids who can be anyone and choose to be themselves. Amy currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.I am trapped. Who am I?
I do not make a habit of introducing myself to humans, but I am in desperation. I am the one they call Monster Down Deep. This is a very not good name for two very good reasons.
Firstly, I am not a monster. I am a fish. A perfectly fine fish, in fact. I have fins for swimming and fins for walking, a mouth full of hooked teeth and smooth scales. I do not look like other fish, but other fish do not look like me. Do I call them monsters?
I had another name once. It was so long ago that all who knew it are gone. My family. My friends. My whole school. Only I have survived.
Since I was a hatchling, I have had a strong sense of survival. I learnt to swim as silently as a shadow; to skim the middle deep without disturbing a grain of sand. I sensed danger when others did not.

Living became my life’s work.
All in all, I have been alive for 2,974 circle moons. I do not know the number in human years. Fish do not count years. We count moons. Moons create the tides. The tides lead us afar and the tides lead us home. If I survive twenty-six more moons, I will reach three thousand moons. I have never heard of a fish who lived so long. If I am careful, I will be the first.
I am always careful.
How, then, did I end up here?
You will be wondering, Where is here?
I am wondering the same thing.
I am trapped in some type of thick green weed. It has formed a net around me and I cannot get free. Now, the net swims with the tide and I must swim within it. Two sliver moons have passed and my fear grows.
Where does the net take me? At first, I was caught in my panic and saw only glimpses of kelp forests, shadows of black eels and deep ocean trenches. I watch carefully now, but what I feel alarms me the most. The water is warmer. I am being dragged into dangerous sun-lit water.
I blame the orange fish. I blame myself.
No, I really only blame the orange fish.
Because of him, this slithery green mass of weed caught me. With each passing breath, it carries me up. Predators live up. Humans live up. Up is very not safe.

That is the second reason why my name is very not good: I am no longer Down Deep. Instead of Monster Down Deep, I am Very Afraid Fish.
Have I seen my last moon?