Author Polly Holyoke: The Neptune Project

LATEST NEWS!

Here's good news for all you Neptune fans. I started the third book in my Neptune trilogy back in June, and it's going swimmingly. Nere has already rescued a baby humpback whale and is diving deep into perilous new adventures as she confronts Wasp, Whitey and Ran Kuron once again. Dai, Tobin, the dolphins and even Cam will all be back as Nere and her friends race to save our planet from climate change.

I hope to have a link to places you can buy The Neptune Deep posted on this website in October.

My Neptune books will plunge readers into a world of undersea adventure. The Neptune Project, an award winning novel for middle grade readers, was published by Disney Hyperion in 2013, and its sequel, The Neptune Challenge, was published in 2015. If you love dolphins, the oceans and stories about friendship and loyalty, you should try diving into these books!

Buy The Neptune Challenge:

I'm delighted to announce that students in Florida in grades 6-8 recently voted The Neptune Project their favorite title on this year's Sunshine State Younger Reader's Award (SSRYA) list. I have had a wonderful time visiting schools all over Florida, and I am very grateful for this honor. Thank you, Florida media specialists and your students!

Educators, because my books include plenty of science and a strong environmental message, The Neptune Project and The Neptune Challenge lend themselves well to cross-curriculum teaching. Please check out the new Resources for Educators page on this website. There you will find teachers' guides packed with interesting lessons and STEM activities that Language Arts, Social Studies, Math and Science teachers can all use in their classrooms. An experienced teacher, I'm also available for school, Skype and Girl Scout visits.

Librarians, in the article "Under the Radar Books for Teen Read Week," School Library Journal recommended both Neptune books because in them, "the world-building is superb, the ocean life well-researched, and the characters appealing."

Readers, check out my cool links to dolphin sounds, shark sites, and what our coastlines will really look like if our oceans keep rising. In Nere's gallery you can also see some of the fascinating sea creatures that my Neptune kids encounter every day.

Announcing a New Contest!

I love creating new characters and thinking up their background, their personality and their goals. Create a new Neptune character and send him or her off on an adventure with Nere and her friends. Please email your story to me at [email protected] by Aug. 10. I will announce the winner on my website by Aug. 14. The winner will receive a signed paperback copy of The Neptune Challenge and a signed copy of The Neptune Conspiracy (UK version of The Neptune Project with a very cool cover) AND a dolphin necklace/bookmark.

Congratulations to the winners of my last contest: Samar and Dylan for sharing first place and to Ira, Madeline and Claire for sharing second place honors. I enjoyed their thoughtful entries explaining why they would/would not want to be a Neptune kid at Safety Harbor.

US cover

British edition of The Neptune Project

A little bit about Book #1: The Neptune Project

Texas Bluebonnet Award 2014-15 Master List

Sunshine State Young Readers' Award Winner

Nominated for Maryland Black-eyed Susan Book Award

Recommended Read for Children by the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science)

Bank Street's Best Children's Books of 2014

Finalist 2013 Green Earth Book Awards

Finalist 2014 Texas Book Awards for MG/YA Literature

Nominated for the Buckeye Children's Book Award

Nominated for the Hawaiann Nēnē List for Young Readers

Nere is one of a group of kids who have been genetically altered to survive in the ocean. These products of the "Neptune Project" are supposed to build a better future under the waves, safe from the terrible famines and wars and that rock the surface world. But there some big challenges ahead of her...