Books

From toddlers to adults - we all need to learn about the oceans.

BREAKING NEWS

The day I celebrated the publication of all three Lucy Adventure Stories. 

These books are a ‘double-whammy’ as they allow their 8-12 year old readers to enjoy a fantastic adventure story whilst also learning about the science of the oceans. 

The latest  FUN  non-fiction book

50 Fabulous Facts about Ocean Creatures

Author:  Gloria Barnett

A non-fiction ‘quick guide’ to understanding the Oceans – and a companion book to ‘The Amazing World Beneath the Waves.’ 

A stunning image for every creature.

For children and adults –

the latest book from the WeirdFish Lady will enable you to discover some of the most weird and wonderful species of life in the oceans.

A book you can dip in and out of to learn about incredible wildlife.

 

Read  details below

about all the books written by the WeirdFish Lady 

LOGAN THE LOBSTER

The Fishy Tales Storybooks (Age 3- 6)
Written by Gloria Barnett
Illustrated by Pam Clubb

Logan is a tiny spiny Lobster. But he’s different from all the other spiny lobsters in the sea. Will the other baby lobsters play with him? Will he make friends? Does it matter that he’s different?

 “Logan the Lobster” – is now on sale

 

 

Finalist in Book Cover Awards from the Wishing Shelf  Awards 2021

A coral reef can be a very dangerous place to live.  

How can Prickle keep herself safe?

How can she stop feeling so scared?

Can she be brave?

Prickle, the tiny puffer fish needs to find the answers to these very important questions. 

‘Prickle the Puffer Fish’ –  is now on sale

RAVI THE RAY 

The Fishy Tales Storybooks (Age 3-6)

Written by Gloria Barnett

Illustrated by Pam Clubb

Ravi the Ray is always on the move to keep out of danger.

 He settles down to sleep in a different place every day. 

Can he find a settled home and friends to share his life with?

Ravi the Ray – is now on sale

 

The Lucy Morgan Adventures Series for ages 8 – 13

Read on for  information about the Lucy Morgan Adventure Series – including REVIEWS and information about awards.

The Lucy Morgan Adventure Series

(for ages 8-13)

These books are ‘different’ – they are adventure stories with a twist.  You can learn real scientific facts and understand more about keeping the oceans healthy as well as reading a really good adventure story. 

Lucy moves from London to the Caribbean and discovers incredible marine life in the dangerous world beneath the waves. She begins her mission to save them and the ocean environment from harm.

AVAILABLE NOW !

Book 1 – ‘Eye of the Turtle’

Book 2 – ‘The Secrets of the Shallows’

Book 3 – ‘The Hidden Cave’

The FIRST in a series of Lucy Morgan Adventure Stories

For ages 8-13
‘Eye of the Turtle’
Written by Gloria Barnett
Illustrated by Katrin Lamb

Lucy has lived on the twelfth floor of a tower block, in a poor area of London for all of her eleven years, but when her Mum accepts a new job in the Caribbean, she must face the unknown. Finding a turtle who needs help begins Lucy’s affinity with ocean creatures. She promises to help protect them but there are challenges ahead in the dangerous underwater world.

               ‘ communicating through the eye of a turtle can change your life                                  young Lucy.  That’s a gift, that is.  A real gift.’

‘Eye of the Turtle’ – published in May 2020

 

                                                             Reviews from readers ….

Praise and Review from Book Life   ….

                                                    ‘Eye of the Turtle’

        reached the quarter-finals of the BookLife Awards – October 2021.

“Congratulations! Your book was named one of the quarter finalists in the 2021 BookLife Prize Fiction Contest.

This year’s Fiction Contest had over 900 entries, so you can be proud that your book was judged by our reviewers as one of the best.

On behalf of everyone at BookLife, thank you for your participation in the BookLife Prize–and for writing such a noteworthy book.”

signed: Carl Pritzkat, President of BookLife.com

 

 Hey everyone !

Take a look at the Professional Review of ‘Eye of the Turtle’ (below) – from the BookLife Prize 2021.

 Well done, WeirdFish Lady –

 10/10  in all four areas – 

WOW!

Plot/Idea: 10:
Originality: 10:
Prose: 10:
Character/Execution: 10
Overall Score: 10.00

Assessment:

Plot: In the first of a three-book adventure series for middle-grade readers, eleven-year-old Lucy is moving away from everything she has ever known. The Caribbean is a long way from London, but she soon finds friends Jack and Solomon, who introduce her to the beach and the ocean’s wondrous creatures. As Lucy finds out, plastic poses a serious threat to the ocean environment, and mitigating that danger leads her to find the courage to learn new skills and brave the ocean deep, which, of course, just might be full of sea monsters.

Prose/Style: The author moves the story along quickly in keeping with Lucy’s sharp mind and ability to adapt to her new situation. Each character has a refreshingly distinctive, consistent voice and point of view.

Originality: Gloria Barnett (aka the WeirdFish Lady) uses Lucy’s move to the Caribbean as a vehicle for introducing readers to sea life. She has handled the device well and by focusing so emphatically on her cast of interesting characters she turns the story into a compelling read.

Character Development/Execution: Lucy is a self-aware and perceptive pre-teen and with the help of her friends, learns the skills she needs to feel comfortable in her new home (including learning to swim and scuba dive) and, as she overcomes her fears, even finds a way to contribute to cleaning up the environment.

Date Review Submitted: August 10, 2021

THE LUCY MORGAN ADVENTURE SERIES

The SECOND in a series of Lucy Morgan Adventure stories

For ages 8-13

“The Secrets of the Shallows’

Written by Gloria Barnett

Illustrated by Katrin Lamb

Help your child to understand they can make a difference to the world. An adventure where a promise to protect ocean creatures leads to challenges in the underwater world.

Having settled on Pontus Island in the Caribbean, 12-year-old Lucy enjoys using her new diving skills with her friends Jack and Solomon. Trusted to help in the Dive Centre, the young dive team are always happy to help scuba instructor, Dan as he teaches locals and tourists the skills of diving. Although diving in the magical clear-blue water of the Caribbean looks and sounds wonderful, our young divers know inexperienced divers are vulnerable to dangerous underwater creatures. Can the young dive team help to keep Dan’s students safe?

When Lucy, Jack and Solomon discover how human activity is destroying the habitats of rare ocean creatures, they are determined to protect both marine creatures and the island’s special natural environment. Can they overcome the challenges ahead to make a difference to life in the oceans?  Confrontation and conflicts develop as the team of children struggle to protect the marine animals.  Are they taking on too much or can they influence important people to do the right thing?

The Lucy Morgan Adventures are written by real-life ocean explorer and educator, Gloria Barnett. Many young people in the UK know her affectionately as the Weirdfish Lady due to her fascinating school workshops, talks and published teaching resources.  Reading this book allows your child to watch television documentaries with a deeper understanding of the natural world and with its cliff-hanging chapters, this book is perfect for fans of exciting adventures, such as Explorer by Katherine Rundell.  Let your child enjoy a thrilling adventure, whilst learning about the natural world.

‘The Secrets of the Shallows’

Publication Date : 19th September 2020 

                                                             Reviews from readers ….

Hey everyone !

Take a look at the Professional Review of ‘The Secrets of the Shallows’ from the Wishing Shelf Awards January 2022

WeirdFish Lady – I’m so proud of you! 

 

THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS 30th January 2022

TITLE: The Secrets of the Shallows:

(Book 2 of the ‘Lucy Morgan Adventure Stories)

AUTHOR: Gloria Barnett

Star Rating: 5/5

To Sum Up

‘A twisting, turning ‘battle the odds’ adventure story for 9 –13 year olds.’

The Wishing Shelf Review

I can sum the plot up for you in a sentence: the young protagonist (Lucy) and her pals discover that humans are destroying an underwater habitat and do everything they can to protect it. If that all sounds very ‘politically correct’, then, yes, it sort of is. And I for one enjoyed it very much.

Gloria Barnett is a very talented author.  From the opening – and very well-written – first chapter, this is a compelling story. The plot is cleverly constructed, the island and underwater settings are splendidly described, the pacing is spot on – and the characters! Wow! They deliver BIG TIME!       I particularly liked Lucy; she’s brave, strong-minded, and determined to do the right thing – a good role model for any child. The author knows how to describe the hero’s feelings when battling the odds.

So, who will enjoy this book? To be honest, I think pretty much any child between the age of 9 and 13 will find this a compelling read. It’s predominantly an adventure with plenty happening all of the time.

To sum up, this is a captivating story of mystery solving, overcoming the odds and adventure.      Enjoy!  

A Wishing Shelf Review 

          THE LUCY MORGAN ADVENTURE                SERIES

       The THIRD in the Lucy Morgan Adventure                            series for ages 8 – 13                                      

                        ‘The Hidden Cave’

Written by Gloria Barnett

Illustrated by Katrin Lamb

By exploring both the underwater reefs and discovering the amazing natural beauty of Pontus Island, Lucy, Sol and Jack get entangled in yet another challenging adventure.  As their battle to protect creatures in the ocean continues, they also begin a search for secrets from the past. This book finds them in serious danger.   The challenges are getting harder.

                   ‘The Hidden Cave’ 

                 Publication Date 15th November 2020. 

                                                             Reviews from readers ….

READ THE

NEW REVIEW

from the  

Booklife Prize – June 2023

Title: The Hidden Cave:

A Lucy Morgan Adventure Story

Author: Gloria Barnett

Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Thriller

Audience: Middle Grade

Word Count: 38776

Assessment:

Plot/Idea: Gloria Barnett once again delivers an underwater-focused plot that builds slowly, with intriguing elements added, such as using sign language to communicate while diving. Readers will be riveted by the story’s exploration of dark and mysterious spaces at the bottom of the ocean.

Prose: The prose reflects diving terminology that elevates the story’s authenticity, and Gloria craft-polished dialogue feels relaxed and logical for the situation.  

Originality: Gloria helps readers understand the natural environment of the underwater world, and provides readers with educational snippets throughout the novel.  There is information on relevant sea life included at the end. Story-specific jargon gives readers an immediate connection with the plot.

Character/Execution: Lucy’s first-person perspective rings true, and her growth into a self-assured advocate by the end of the story is admirable. 

Report Submitted: June 28, 2023

                           All Gloria’s fiction books are also available as                            e-books on Amazon.

 Gloria’s NON-FICTION books are available as paperbacks only.  Purchase through this website or order through your national bookshops

NON-FICTION ADULTS

AGE 10 - 110

THE AMAZING WORLD BENEATH THE WAVES

An Introduction to Understanding the Oceans

This guide is for anyone who has ever been intrigued, fascinated or entranced by the world’s oceans. From the tiniest microscopic, one-celled plankton to the vast blue whale, incredible photographs and illustrations reveal the amazing diversity of life beneath the waves and the extraordinary adaptations of creatures for survival in the extreme marine environment.

Concepts such as tides, undersea mountains and the relationship between atmosphere and ocean are all carefully described to enable non-scientists to understand how important the world’s oceans are to Planet Earth and to the existence of life on Earth.

From tsunamis and earthquakes, to pollution and rising sea levels – here is a guide that everyone should read – about a watery world that so few humans understand, which covers 70% of the surface of the planet and is so deep in parts that it hides even the highest mountain ranges and deepest canyons on Earth.

This book guides us effortlessly to a better understanding of the amazing world beneath the waves.

Through sales of this book, the author is supporting the work of the Marine Conservation Society (www.mcsuk.org)

REVIEW – February 2021

‘The Amazing World Beneath the Waves’    (Non-Fiction)

 I received your book last week and I’ve now read it cover to cover ! I wish to congratulate you on presenting a tremendous subject in a clear and concise way. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to both children and adults alike. The illustrations, graphs and photographs support the text which is both absorbing, educational and entertaining.

Stephen P. – City of Liverpool

WITH A FOREWORD BY JOHN AITCHISON - WILDLIFE FILMMAKER

‘In this book, Gloria Barnett gives us facts, explanations and reasons why each of us should learn more about the oceans and the crucial part they play in our world. ’

John Aitchison

John Aitchison is a wildlife filmmaker. He’s worked on many programmes for the BBC, National Geographic and Discovery Channel including Frozen Planet, Life, Big Cat Diary, The Natural Word, Springwatch and Yellowstone.

Follow John’s work at www.johnaitchison.net

Schools or Rotary Clubs – Bulk Buying Opportunities

If you are looking to bulk buy our books and resources for primary schools in the UK. 

Get in touch with our team by email (see top of this page) for individual bulk order requirements. We’re happy to give you the best possible prices.

We are constantly adding new titles to our published resources so contact us to organise your ‘mix and match’ choices! 

Bulk Buy Prices

Sample Book Pack  

            1 x  non-fiction            World Beneath the Waves          

1 x fiction Early Years and  1 x fiction Lucy Morgan book for 25% off

£28.50  (RRP £37.98)

 

Early Years Pack  

 

        10 x fiction books                    (a mixture of Early                      Years books)                        for  £25.00 off              £44.95

  (RRP £89.90)

 

KS2 Pack 

10 x  Lucy Morgan Fiction books

              (Four x Book 1,                  three each of Book 2 & 3)        for 25% off

         £44.95 (RRP £89.90)