THE FLY WHO FLEW UNDER THE SEA

Philanthropist and former journalist Sánchez Bezos chronicles the further journeys of the little hero who took readers into orbit in The Fly Who Flew to Space (2024).

The second book in the series finds Flynn the fly abuzz with excitement: “I just got an invitation to watch a rocket launch at this place called Cape Canaveral—in Florida!” But while in flight to Cape Canaveral, Flynn misreads a sign and ends up at Cape Coral: “UGH. I mixed up the letters again.” (Both this book and its predecessor acknowledge Flynn’s learning challenges.) Tan-skinned submarine captain Coral offers a smile and a means of getting Flynn to Cape Canaveral on time: “I’m heading that way to help a friend who’s working on an ocean cleanup near there. Let’s DIVE!” From inside the sub, Flynn gets to see all manner of sea life, and Captain Coral imparts pertinent facts along the way. This book is on a mission to educate readers, and unfortunately, it reads like it: The writing is stilted, with loads of exclamation points that can’t compensate for a lack of compelling storytelling, and the submarine’s brief tussle with a giant squid plays like a half-hearted gesture at suspense. Although the T-shirt–wearing, heavily eyelashed Flynn looks like something cooked up at an animation studio, Stewart’s high-intensity, quasi-photorealistic depictions of underwater creatures may be instructive, especially for readers who can’t easily visit an aquarium.

A story that sinks under the weight of its purposefulness.