A second underwater adventure from the author of Branford Boase longlisted The Girl with Gills. Join Scamp Saltbrace on a high-stakes fantasy adventure, with vicious mermaids, evil smugglers and a tidal clock that controls the oceans.

A second underwater adventure from the author of Branford Boase longlisted The Girl with Gills. Join Scamp Saltbrace on a high-stakes fantasy adventure, with vicious mermaids, evil smugglers and a tidal clock that controls the oceans.

Scamp Saltbrace feels like a misfit. In a family full of sailors, she’s scared of the sea. But when an ancient truce between mermaids and sailors is broken, it’s up to Scamp to fix it. Braving raging oceans full of unknown dangers, guided by a strange tidal clock given to her by her beloved granny, Scamp must find the mermaid queen.
Scamp’s loyal little sister, True, and companions Quinlan and Tails, join her as they discover the sea queen’s daughter is missing, taken by the wicked smuggler, Victor Marrow. Worse, the tidal clock’s powers, if misused, could threaten the entire world. To save everyone and everything she cares about, Scamp must do what she has avoided all her life, and answer the call of the sea.

"Wonderfully imagined and beautifully told." - Abi Elphinstone, author of the Ember Spark series

"Scamp Saltbrace is the best character name and the perfect heroine for this sea-faring adventure... vivid, fun and teetering on wild." - Jasbinder Bilan, author of Naeli and the Secret Song

"'A captivating adventure... Buckle up for a quest of peril, majestic marine creatures and a force of nature almighty. I smelt the sea on every page of this story which showed that the hardest, and most worthwhile journey, is always the one back to yourself. A must read!'" - Lui Sit, author of Land of the Last Wildcat

"...a thrilling nautical adventure with family at its salty heart. I will never think of mermaids in quite the same way again." - Ash Bond, author of Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm

"A gorgeous story about sisterhood, the importance of empathy and forgiveness, full of lyrical writing...Mermaids have never been so formidable, and parts of the book gave me chills!" - Philippa Leathley, author of Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Shadow Compass