Aidan Versus the Ocean is Dannika Patterson's debut middle-grade novel.
This fast-paced Aussie survival adventure is a plot-driven page-turner.
Sudden storms, circling sharks, venomous snakes, fishing fails, a bunch of bad decisions, and a Border Collie bestie.
Tween readers will be swept away with 12-year-old Aidan's adventures off the wild West Australian coast.
All Aidan thought he'd have to survive during the summer school holidays was yet another game of Fortnite with his mates. But his plans are suddenly swept out to sea after one teeny-tiny bad decision leads to a whole bunch more. Now he's forced to play a real-life game of survival off the wild West Australian coast.
With his Border Collie Barney by his side, will Aidan's courage, humour and grit, along with half remembered tips from celebrity survivalists, be enough to see him safely home?
At 136 pages, this is a Wombat Shorts title written and designed deliberately for readers who want a real adventure without intimidating commitment. It’s a good fit for reluctant and developing readers who are ready for older content but not yet for length. Booksellers have flagged the combination that makes it work: fast-paced action, practical survival detail, and a narrator with a voice funny enough to keep readers on side while the situation gets steadily worse.
Aidan Versus the Ocean aligns with the Australian Curriculum across Science, HASS and English, with a full set of accompanying teaching notes spanning Years 4–7. It is a strong candidate for a whole-class set, a mentor text, or a classroom read-aloud novel.
Themes include survival, resilience, courage, problem-solving, marine environments, coastal safety, humour and the bond between a boy and his dog.
READING LEVEL AGES 8 - 12 (MIDDLE GRADE)
Aidan Versus the Ocean is Dannika Patterson's debut middle-grade novel.
This fast-paced Aussie survival adventure is a plot-driven page-turner.
Sudden storms, circling sharks, venomous snakes, fishing fails, a bunch of bad decisions, and a Border Collie bestie.
Tween readers will be swept away with 12-year-old Aidan's adventures off the wild West Australian coast.
All Aidan thought he'd have to survive during the summer school holidays was yet another game of Fortnite with his mates. But his plans are suddenly swept out to sea after one teeny-tiny bad decision leads to a whole bunch more. Now he's forced to play a real-life game of survival off the wild West Australian coast.
With his Border Collie Barney by his side, will Aidan's courage, humour and grit, along with half remembered tips from celebrity survivalists, be enough to see him safely home?
At 136 pages, this is a Wombat Shorts title written and designed deliberately for readers who want a real adventure without intimidating commitment. It’s a good fit for reluctant and developing readers who are ready for older content but not yet for length. Booksellers have flagged the combination that makes it work: fast-paced action, practical survival detail, and a narrator with a voice funny enough to keep readers on side while the situation gets steadily worse.
Aidan Versus the Ocean aligns with the Australian Curriculum across Science, HASS and English, with a full set of accompanying teaching notes spanning Years 4–7. It is a strong candidate for a whole-class set, a mentor text, or a classroom read-aloud novel.
Themes include survival, resilience, courage, problem-solving, marine environments, coastal safety, humour and the bond between a boy and his dog.
READING LEVEL AGES 8 - 12 (MIDDLE GRADE)
