Reviewed by The Compulsive Reader for TeensReadToo.com

Clio Ford has lived an interesting life. She became famous at age 12. Her parents are divorced. And she has a tattoo, just to name a few things.

Now, forced to spend a summer with her insane father and his research team on a boat on the Mediterranean Sea, she just might go mad. Especially since she knows they're looking for something...something they refuse to tell Clio anything about.

GIRL AT SEA is simply fantastic. As usual with all of Maureen Johnson's books, the plot is unique and nothing like anything you'll find in most other teen books these days. Clio is lively, fun, adventurous, and witty.

So if you care to read about paper hats, crazy parents, big boats, weird tattoos, lost artifacts, romance, and LOTS of jellyfish, what are you waiting for? Join in on all the nautical fun! Maureen Johnson will leave you desperate for more. ( )

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/20... ( )

A fun read, good for summer. The humour and sarcasm worked for me and it went by quickly. ( )

Full review at http://yannabe.com/2009/06/23/review-...

Summary: 17-year-old Clio just finagled a job where her crush works. But when her mom gets an out-of-town work assignment, Clio has to put her plans on hold and hang out with her dad on a boat in the Mediterranean. Sound fun? You haven’t met Clio’s dad.

Review: Maureen Johnson cracks me up. I read her blog religiously.

That said, this wasn’t the MJ book for me. I much preferred Suite Scarlett.

I loved the romance, and the humor cracked me up as always. But the middle felt too slow. Sometimes, it felt like details were included not because they were important to the story but because they set up a good joke.

A little taste of what I’m talking about, where Clio is getting a feel for the kitchen on the boat:

There was a lot more food in the galley now than there had been the night before. The yacht was packed like a UN provision ship. Eight loaves of bread were piled in the corner. Three cardboard boxes stuffed full of vegetables sat on the floor. Another two of fruit. A paper bag revealed meat. Just meat. The refrigerator had been filled with fresh fish—heads and all—trapped in clear plastic bags. There was something murderous about it. Like the Mafia had taken these fish out. These fish slept with the fishes.

I’m not sorry I finished this book because it was entertaining. But if this is the only MJ book you’ve read and it didn’t wow you, you have to give Suite Scarlett a chance. ( )

A friend of mine asked me to read this so she'd have someone to talk to about it and so I did. My second Maureen Johnson book was far from disappointing, unlike much of the story for Clio, our main character. Clio's parents are divorced and her mom goes to Kansas with her boyfriend, leaving Clio in the care of her father -- the last place she wants to be. Having just purchased a new yacht, Clio's father takes her on a journey she, as the cliche goes, won't soon forget. The story is cute, tense and focuses on, among other things, a mystery Clio's father won't discuss. Johnson's characters are fun, interesting and at times frustrating. But, all in all, I enjoyed the book. ( )