underwater

Underwater (Darby Creek Exceptional Titles)
$16.95
If one more person tells 12-year-old Gabe Livingston that he needs to learn to "float above" his feelings or to "rise above" his anger, he'll lose it! Especially since all he ever wants to do is dive below the rest of the world...way below, like into a deep sea canyon. Gabe longs to be a marine explorer, like his hero, Jacques Cousteau.

Not only is the world below the surface beautiful and full of interesting life, it's nowhere near as chaotic and confusing as people. If the kids at school wouldn't make him so mad, if his mother wouldn't push him to go outside and play games he can't stand, everything would be fine. But, Gabe's constantly forced to deal with people and situations he wants nothing to do with, and he has to find a way to survive somewhere besides Underwater.

This character-driven novel has a strong voice in its main character. Gabe is a typical boy with typical problems, but they'll resonate deeply with young readers.

Like most kids this age, Gabe finds it difficult to control his emotions and anger. Things that make sense to him don't even seem to be on the radars of the people around him, and vice versa. He has frequent blow ups and feels frustrated and confused when he has to deal with the consequences. Especially when other kids seem to have everything go their way. Again, something to which nearly everyone can relate.

Watching Gabe Livingston learn to navigate the real world along with his beloved deep sea diving video game is priceless. Levy's character building and story telling skills are exceptional from page one. They make a quiet book speak volumes.

Reviewed by: Julie M. Prince

Underwater, Episode 1
$20.98
For the most part, this is two disc set of progressive disco house. When I first made the purchase I listened to both sets completely. I'll be honest, Track 1 on the first cd (Emerson's set) has been ultimately set to repeat in my brain! This track has become my "backing out the garage and rolling to work" theme. Just a very good vibe to start the 2 disc set. So if you get this for anything, get it for track 1 called "Ya'self". I give it another week and it will be in my "Top 25" on my iPod!

Sealife DC 800 8.0 Megapixel Underwater/Land Camera in Removable Housing with 4X Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD screen (Black)
$549.95
Bought the camera for my daughter who is working in Cancun Mexico at the resort Xcaret, she works with sharks and other marine life. I was amazed to find out that this is the type of camera used by divers and the marine park. They were exited of the size, and quality of the camera. During my stay with my daughter we swam and trie the camera out (in the water and out of the water). It took beautiful pictures in the water and out. Video quality is great also. (We did not test the video underwater), but if you are looking for a sturdy camera, this is the one! It was a great choice.

Breathing Underwater
$8.99
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
**** (4 stars)

Breathing Underwater is a great book that takes place in Key Biscayne, Florida. It is mostly about a teenage boy trying to figure out who he is. The main character's name is Nick, who's a big shot football player and in most eyes he's a perfect rich kid who gets things handed to him. Nick is a typical 16 year old boy; however he frequently gets caught up in lies. He puts on a "masks" to cover up who he actually is and appear normal. Caitlyn is Nick's first real girlfriend and they soon fall in love, but that doesn't protect Cat from who Nick really is.
My favorite aspect of this book is how Alex Flinn starts the book off at the end so the reader knows what happens, but not how it happened. She also puts a twist on it so the person reading reads the present and the past at the same time, the past explaining the present. My favorite character is Nick because I saw directly how and why he changed from being regular to being aggressive and back again.
I wish the book had more description about what happened after Nick completed his family therapy. I would also have liked to known he treated a future girlfriend or if he stopped dating for a while.
I would recommend Breathing Underwater to a person who likes suspense and really connecting to the characters.