OceanX Adventures by Kate Jerome

Over the past few days, I read the first three books of the OceanX Adventures series. This adventure series is about Marena Montoya, an eleven-year-old girl who agrees to be the new junior science reporter for the local aquarium's newsletter at the encouragement of her fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Foster. In the first book, Mystery at the Aquarium, Marena writes her first article for Mrs. Diaz while trying to solve the mystery of the power outages at the aquarium. Mentored by Dr. Anna Knowles, Marena, her best friend Aisha, and her older brother Lucas search for real scientific evidence and use critical thinking skills to find the culprit of the power outages. In the next book, Danger in the Deep Sea, Marena and Aisha discover an important clue in finding the shipwreck of the San Luis Pedro and its treasure. When Marena becomes an accidental stowaway on the OceanXplorer, she and Lucas embark on a journey to help hunt for the San Luis Pedro. In the third book, Daring Dolphin Rescue, Marena wins a grant from the National Aquarium Association and goes on a research trip to Monterey, California. Although she doesn't get along with her study partner, Samuel, at first, they eventually work together to learn about how whales and dolphins communicate from Anna. When Marena and Samuel investigate an underwater noise issue after helping rescue a baby otter and a dolphin, they get trapped on a boat and have to find a way to escape.

I've long been interested in the oceans and marine science, so I really enjoyed this series. I loved following Marena's adventures and learning more about the oceans and marine animals. I thought it was really cool that these books use real science and they helped me understand more about how scientists explore the oceans. I also liked that Marena had so much support around her from Aisha and Lucas to Anna and Mrs. Diaz. This series is great for kids because the science is explained in a way that's easy to understand. Additionally, the situations Marena finds herself in add a dash of suspense, making an engaging read. Any kid who's interested in the oceans and sea creatures should check OceanX Adventures out.