THE 8TH CONTINENT

An eco-conscious series of adventures begins, promising worldbuilding on a continental scale and an integrated website.

When their brilliant, activist father is placed under house arrest by Winterpole, the international police agency, preteens Evie and Rick Lane take on the challenge of finding the missing half of a formula that will convert the Great Pacific Garbage Patch into an eighth continent where they will be free of Winterpole’s regulations and where birds and animals can find sanctuary. At 10 and 11, Evie and Rick are opposites: Evie is always ready for action and looking for a loophole; studious, obedient Rick prefers his adventure in video games. But they share a dislike for bullying schoolmate Vesuvia Piffle, the “super-secret” CEO of the Condo Corp., who’s determined to build a continent of her own where plastic will rule. The Lanes’ quest for the formula, which takes them into the Winterpole headquarters near their Swiss home, far north to a seastead in the Arctic Ocean, and down to ocean depths, is told in third person from their alternating points of view. Two sequels are promised for 2015.

Fast-paced action, cool inventions and remarkable robots combine for an auspicious opener.