The Mighty Deep (The Underfoot #1)

Someone has erected a dam, and the Hamster Aquatic Mercenaries have been called upon to destroy it. Without their recently lost trapsmith, though, breaking up the dam will prove near impossible. Still, they draft a few younger hamsters who may not be entirely ready to make their way into enemy territory. There, they will confront reptiles, birds, and sentient animals who have uncertain motives. Fisher (the Great Divide books) and entertainment journalist Whitten, making her debut, introduce readers to a fascinating world that blends elements of GI Joe stories with Brian Jacques’s Redwall books. In between chapters, written artifacts offer a glimpse of a previous time, when humans created sentient animals in labs before freeing and abandoning them. Artist Nguyen excels at depicting realistic, emotive talking animals, and she manages shadowing and foreground well, spotlighting the earthy-toned hamsters. Though the premise of the story is basic (destroy a dam), the complicated threads and well-developed, quirky characters create a compelling adventure that readers will want to explore in future series installments. Ages 13–16. [em](Apr.) [/em]