• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Ian has been going to Key West every summer for years, helping his Uncle Gord at his dive shop and spending as much time as he can underwater.

When he's not scuba diving, he's admiring Sherri, the girl who works at the dive shop, and wondering how she would feel if he told her that he tastes blackberries whenever he sees her. A series of accidents leads Ian to believe that his uncle is in grave danger, but the truth is more complicated and terrifying than he could ever have imagined.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

With close to three million books in print, Sigmund Brouwer writes for both children and adults. In the last ten years, he has given writing workshops to students in schools from the Arctic Circle to inner city Los Angeles. One of his latest novels, The Last Disciple, earned Sigmund an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America. Sigmund and his family live half the year in Nashville, Tennessee, and half the year in Red Deer, Alberta.

The Talk:
Reach For Your Dreams
It doesn't matter where you come from, it's where you decide to go in life that is important. Sigmund Brouwer encourages students to reach for their dreams, giving them fun and practical advice for the reading and writing skills that are the foundation of future success.

The Presentation:
Sigmund's presentations are an hour of high-level energy. He especially reaches out to reluctant readers and gears the talk to engage their attention. Audience size varies; often his presentations take place in the gym for the entire school, including kindergarten. (After the first half hour, the K-2 grades are dismissed, and the remainder of the presentation is focused on the older students.) There are no restrictions on audience size except for the space limitations of the gym. Smaller schools are welcome to invite another school to share in the cost of the presentation.

Booking:
For presentations that involve travel, Sigmund appreciates it if two or three schools in the area make bookings on the same day. For more information on booking, fees and expenses, please email Sigmund: rockandrollliteracy@me.com

Sigmund Brouwer's profile page

• Nominated, Golden Eagle Children's Choice
• Commended, Junior Library Guild (JLG) Gold Standard Selection

"Students who are looking for something action-packed to read will find this book full of continual action and suspense...A good book to have in a Junior High reading library."

Resource Links

"Takes the reader into an exciting and fast-paced world of deep sea diving, treasure hunting, attempted murder and cover-up…Part of the 'Orca Sports' series, Absolute Pressure will provide teachers with a read-aloud that will capture the imagination of boys while holding appeal for a general younger teen audience…Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials