ALA Booklist (Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2010)

A science writer and a photojournalist document seven days spent under 60 feet of water in what is currently the world's only underwater science lab. Positioned to observe wildlife in a coral reef near the Florida Keys, Aquarius is a mobile home sized steel cylinder that typically houses six aquanauts for one- or two-week missions. This clearly written, personal account, illustrated with well-captioned, color photos, tells of the men's extensive training, their experience living in tight quarters underwater, the wildlife they observed from inside and outside Aquarius, and their part in a mission to tag and track fish electronically. Several excellent inserts present topics from "Why Pressure Matters" to divers and the history of underwater habitats. Back matter includes a glossary and lists of recommended books and websites. Young people intrigued by marine biology will want to join Mallory and Skerry on this journey beneath the sea.

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Mallory takes us through his training and subsequent week living aboard the Aquarius laboratory, currently located sixty feet underwater at a reef in the Florida Keys. He covers all aspects of life in the Aquarius, with a briefer discussion of his participation in a fish-tagging science project. Numerous excellent color photographs of the scientists and marine life accompany the text. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Kirkus Reviews

Most children know what an astronaut is, but an aquanaut? Not so common. Focusing on a one-week expedition in the underwater science station Aquarius, Mallory and marine photographer Skerry literally immerse themselves in this adventure. The science station is an 80-ton cylindrical steel chamber that's like "a mobile home someone has driven into the ocean." The team's project is to electronically tag fish and observe their daily habits. The narrative chronicles the safety training needed before the expedition, the implantation of tags or pingers inside the fish and the day-to-day experience of living 60 feet below the ocean's surface. What do aquanauts eat? Can you make telephone calls and send e-mails? And most importantly—is it possible for a toilet to explode from too much pressure? (Answer: yes.) Full-page interludes on topics such as sea-habitat history and the importance of decompression are disruptive at times but ultimately add to the understanding of this undersea adventure. A rather dry design aside, this book intrigues. (introduction, further reading, glossary, index) ( Nonfiction. 9-12)

School Library Journal (Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Gr 5-8 Mallory has been "messing about" with water for a goodly while, as evinced in such books as Swimming with Hammerhead Sharks (2001) and Diving to a Deep-Sea Volcano (2006, both Houghton). Here he invites readers to squeeze into Aquarius , a venerable science-station habitat resting on the sea floor at a depth of 60 feet in the Florida Keys. The readable text explains the complexities of training for a weeklong stay, the aims of the scientists on the team, and what it is like to spend 24/7 in squashed companionship in a 43' a 9' cylinder as part of a crew of seven. He groans over less-than-gourmet freeze-dried meals, recounts major inconveniences like toilet clogs (plus the somewhat unsavory solution to same), and describes a scary power outage. Sidebars contain interesting information on what the crew ate, the history of various underwater habitats, and the dangers of too-rapid decompression while returning to the surface. Full-color photos abound. Uneven in quality, they range from close-ups of the insertion of computer chips into live fish bellies to longer shots of reef residents and wet-suited divers going about their work. All in all, this is a rather nifty look at scientists busily at work on interesting projects, all the while living like human hermit crabs in a shell-type lab. Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY