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. ( )

A high school girl gets the summer job of her dreams, just in time to find out that she has to spend the vacation with her father in Italy. On a boat. Sounds great, right? Except her dad has a tendency for wild schemes that seem like a good idea at the time (to him) but never go quite right after all (especially for her). What type of crazy is he cooking up this time?

Girl At Sea was a stressful book to read; it never seemed to slow down. From the very beginning, and especially after she gets to Italy, it's just one thing after another - and often it's one near-disaster after another. On the other hand, it really reflects the feeling of the main character, who is resentful and angry at the situation she has been stuck in. It is well written and the plot kept me guessing, but it is not a book I'll read again. ( )

Seventeen-year-old Clio Ford has just gotten a summer job at an art store working alongside a guy she likes. She's not happy when her father whisks her away for the summer on a ship to Italy for his research. However, she finds herself making friends with the other girl onboard and developing interest in the guy helping with the research.

Maureen Johnson does an excellent job of writing the tone of a witty, sarcastic teenager while also keeping it light. The characters are interesting to read, the plot is a perfect balance of discovery and mystery, and Clio's voice is just fun to read. I loved Girl at Sea, and I heartily recommend it. ( )

Taken away from her chances of winning over a handsome Southern, Clio is pulled into the world of seasickness and tiny spaces. Her father, ambitious and hopeful (and should I say cute), bought a yacht. The yacht isn’t huge but it would get them from here to there, right? What about from Sorrento, Italy to the middle of the sea? Stuck on a yacht (which should be exciting) but with five other people, can be tiring. Especially if there is a statuesque archeologist’s daughter who Clio envies, a cute research assistant who just might be taken, her father’s best friend who suffers from heart problems, her father’s new girlfriend, and, of course her father. Clio is annoyed already but the real reason is … what are they doing in the middle of the sea?

The first half of this book (pages 166 and earlier) where slow at getting to the point. It was boring to read about the same scenes, setting, characters, and problems. It was really a teenage drama. But when page 167 arrived, I was sucked in. The story behind the main secret (the reason they are on a yacht in the middle of the sea) began to intertwine with Clio’s personal life. That, itself, is exciting! Author Maureen Johnson is clever in so many ways. She took unoriginal characters (ex. snobbish, hot, etc.) and made their small qualities seem important through humorous dialogue and vivid descriptions of the whole ordeal. If you are patient enough, which means if you can deal with reading the first half of the book, this is a great story to have on your bookshelf. ( )