ALA Booklist

On the day Cassie was born, her town's mayor flipped a switch, and Old Lower Grange was submerged "under two hundred feet of water." Now 12 years old, Cassie is drawn to the man-made lake. Undeterred by no-entry signs, Cassie starts swimming in it with her friend Liam, who was physically scarred, just as his father was mentally and emotionally scarred, by the car accident that killed his twin brother 12 years earlier. As they dive deeper and deeper through the slowly receding waters, they begin to retrieve clues to a crime covered up years before. Written in short sentences and simple vocabulary, Cassie's first-person narrative is accessible, but she and Liam sometimes seem older than their years. One theme in the novel, becoming more explicit near the end, is that history shifts according to who records it and what they choose to leave out and put in. Though initially the characters feel a bit distant, the writing and the story in this Australian novel become increasingly compelling.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Twelve-year-old Cassie, born the day Old Lower Grange, Australia, was submerged to form a reservoir, feels as if she's the only person who still cares about the old town. Accompanied by her classmate Liam, Cassie swims in it and starts to see glimpses of the underwater town--and its secrets. Realized characters and a well-crafted setting buoy a somewhat languid mystery plot.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A poetic sensibility shines through this coming-of-age mystery from McKinlay (Duck for a Day), first published in Australia. Twelve-year-old Cassie feels like a fifth wheel in her family, having been born eight years after her older siblings. Cassie was also the first baby born in the Australian town of New Lower Grange, which was established after the intentional flooding of the previous town to accommodate a dam. Cassie swims six laps every day at the local pool to keep her lungs strong (she was born eight weeks early), but she feels the pull of the forbidden lake above Old Lower Grange. There, she is joined by Liam, a classmate whose life was altered in a tragic accident, and together they search for the truth about the town-s past as its centenary celebration approaches. The weight of personal history hangs over McKinlay-s story, and she strongly evokes the claustrophobia of a small town where well-meaning people all know each other-s business. There-s also a very real sense of excitement and danger as Cassie tries to unearth the lake-s secrets, making her triumph all the sweeter. Ages 9-12. (May)

School Library Journal (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Gr 5-7 On the day Cassie was born, her town was drowned; the New Lower Grange replaced the old one but without its history. Cassie feels responsible somehow that her early birth disconnected her family from their past. As she turns 12, she finds herself drawn to the lake that now covers the town she has only heard stories about. Her mother insists that daily swims in the town pool are important to strengthen her lungs, but Cassie is distracted by Band-Aids in the water, the cruelty of more popular kids, and her own self-consciousness. But the now officially forbidden lake is quiet, removed, and very appealing. During the dry, hot summer, the lake gradually recedes as Cassie's friendship with a classmate, a surprisingly kindred spirit, develops. Together Liam and Cassie uncover the mysteries of Old Lower Grange hidden below the lake and see how their lives have been changed by those secrets. Though pacing is initially slowed by Cassie's introspection, readers will hold their breath as she challenges herself, swimming far into the forbidden side of the lake as the story unfolds. Her voice is convincing as she and Liam glimpse more of the drowned town. By novel's end, the town and all of its residents come to grips with the past and look forward to a bright, swimming future. Readers will enjoy spending time with Cassie and Liam and will appreciate the satisfying resolution. Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library