Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Deepwater Creek by Michael Regina - ADVISABLE

Deepwater Creek
by Michael Regina
, 252 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Putnam (Penguin), 2025. $14 

Language: G (0 swears);  Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Wade and his younger brother, Andrew, and their two friends love going fishing with Wade's dad. They hear about a place on the river that has plentiful fish, though it's farther than they've ever been up river. When they get there, heavy fog rolls in, and while reeling in a giant fish, Andrew falls in. When Wade jumps in to save him, they think they see a monster in the water. Andrew takes a turn for the worse, and Wade and his friends determine to take Andrew back out to see if they can help him but find themselves facing something far more sinister than they were prepared for. 

The plot is sufficiently creepy enough to keep kids engaged without scaring them. The watercolor graphic art works to help create the creepy tone of the piece, and is beautifully rendered. Themes of brotherly love and friendship elevate the story, and you'll be rooting for the brothers and their friends. The brothers are Latino, with one black friend and one white. 

Michelle in the Middle 

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