Journey to Atlantis

Submarine Outlaw

by Philip Roy

In this sequel to his best-selling novel Submarine Outlaw from 2008, Alfred, the intrepid young submarine outlaw, once again sets out to sea in his homemade submarine. In Journey to Atlantis, Alfred and his crew (his dog Hollie and his second mate the seagull Seaweed) sail across the Atlantic and enter the Mediterranean in search of the fabled lost island of Atlantis. Alfred must be both practical and trust his premonitions on many occasions to stay safe on this ambitious and far-reaching adventure. From a daring rescue of drowning fishermen to becoming involved in a skirmish between Canadian coastguard ships and Spanish fishing trawlers, from escaping an exploding WWII sea mine to colliding with a partially submerged container filled with toys, from turning the chase on bumbling pirates to an unscheduled camel trek into the desert, AlfredÂ’s submarine voyage brings him closer and closer to the legendary island until one moonless night he finds himself a little too close for comfort.

Genres: Fiction, Middle Grade

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 14, 2009

About the author

Philip Roy writes children’s books and Middle Reader/YA novels of adventure and historical fiction that invite young readers of all ages to consider the variety, vastness, and fascination of the world around us. Philip is especially committed to writing works of fiction that are devoted to social, global and environmental issues. Visiting schools is Philip’s favourite part of being a writer.

Philip studied Music and History before choosing a career in writing. Born by the sea in Nova Scotia, Philip has traveled extensively for research on his award-winning Submarine Outlaw/Un rebelle en sous-marin adventure series. Philip has also penned two historical novels including Me & Mr. Bell, (nominated for the Silver Birch, Geoffrey Bilson, Hackmatack and CLA awards), as well as Blood Brothers in Louisbourg, (long-listed for First Nations Communities Read.) Kirkus Reviews has called Philip’s 2017 Middle Reader, The Kingdom of No Worries, “a parable for our time.”

A prolific creator of children’s picture books, Philip’s has written 30 stories for the Happy the Pocket Mouse/Youpi series, 4 of which have been published, (illustrated by Andrea Torrey Balsara): Mouse Tales/Les contes de Youpi, Jellybean Mouse/Youpi et ses bonbons, Mouse Pet/Un ami pour Youpi, and Mouse Vacation/Youpi en vacances. The fifth picture book in the Happy/Youpi series, A Happy Halloween, will be published in 2021 under the artistic auspices of a new illustrator, Ms. Lisa Ferguson.

Philip and his family, (including their all-white cat, Ollie, named after Dickens’ Oliver in Oliver Twist), live in Brockville, Ontario, where Philip continues to write novels and compose music.

If you are interested in scheduling Philip for a presentation, please contact Leila Merl at leilamerl28@gmail.com and see our “Author Visits” page via http://philiproy.ca. You can also call Leila at 613-499-9485.

Awards and Nominations:

Red Cedar Book Award Nominee 2017

Communication-Jeunesse Nominee 2014-2015

Moonbeam Silver Medal for Young Adult Fiction 2015

Silver Birch Award in the Forest of Reading Nominee (OLA) 2015

Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award Nominee 2014

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People Nominee (CCBC) 2014

Selected for the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Best Books for Kids and Teens 2008, 2010-2014

Short-listed: Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014-2015

Long-listed: First Nation Communities Read 2013-2014

Resource Links: “The Year’s Best 2013.”

Runner-Up: New England Book Festival 2012

Runner-Up: Green Book Festival (San Francisco) 2012

Red Maple Award in the Forest of Reading Nominee (OLA) 2010

Silver Medal: ForeWord’s Best Book of the Year Award 2009

Langley Book of the Year Award Nominee 2009

Short-listed: Ann Connor Brimer Award 2009

Short-listed: Diamond Willow Award 2009

Short-listed: Rocky Mountain Book Award 2009

First Prize: Atlantic Writing Competition 2007

PUBLICATIONS:
Philip Roy has published 15 books in English thus far, including 11 Middle/YA Readers, and 4 children’s picture books. Nearly half of Philip’s books have been translated into French, (and there are more on the way!) All of Philip's books can be viewed via his website, http://philiproy.ca/books/, where you can read synopses, and find first chapter links for his novels. Sample illustrations for his Happy the Pocket Mouse picture book series can also be viewed via http://philiproy.ca/happy-the-pocket-....
For more information about Philip, visit: http://philiproy.ca.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5]

This book had so much adventure. Every other chapter left you biting your nails.

My only disappointment was finding that the whole idea of the book - Atlantis - only had two tiny pages at the end of the book. I was hoping the character would actually find it, and explore it. Instead of HINTING and HOPING that he MAY have seen a tiny portion?

While the adventures were fun and sounded pretty real, this book was not about Atlantis. So I feel kind of gypped.

It was worth reading though, and I wouldn't mind checking out the rest of the series.

[Caitlyn Unruh · Rating 4 out of 5]

awesome book and awesome series! proofread for the library. should pass with a couple blackouts

[Lawral · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was worried/excited that Journey to Atlantis would break entirely from the precedent set by the first book in the series and suddenly have mermaids, a city suspended under a bubble on the bottom of the ocean, or other such impossibilities. Worried for readers who were drawn to the first book because of it's realistic tone and wealth of information; excited because Atlantis is pretty cool. Turns out, my worry was unnecessary. Magical creatures don't suddenly pop out of the ocean to take Alfred, Hollie, and Seaweed to their underwater palaces; this book is planted firmly in reality. Still, the ocean is still an unfathomable place, exactly why Alfred wants to be free to explore it, and not everything he encounters during his trip across the ocean can be rationalized or explained away.

Alfred studies quite a bit in preparation for this trip, looking especially at accounts of others' search for the lost city. He also studies at sea navigation, international law for water travel, and modern day piracy (in order to avoid, not to practice). All of this studying happens before the opening of the book (luckily), but the knowledge Alfred acquired over the winter shows throughout the novel and, of course, is shared with the reader. What might be considered an information overload in another series, fits well with the Alfred (and Ziegfried) we were introduced to in the previous book.

During his trip, Alfred meets scholars, sailors, world travelers, and many other people during his travels (yes, including pirates!). Though he continues to be brave and good, sacrificing his time and, in some cases, his safety to help others, this book is more about the exploring that Alfred is finally able to do rather than his adventures in the submarine. The descriptions of the Mediterranean, the western coast of Africa, Azores are amazing. Roy practically paints pictures of these locales, in addition to describing the people Alfred gets to meet. Though the story remains a bit episodic, Journey to Atlantis has a clear goal in mind throughout: find the lost city. Alfred retraces the steps of other explorers, circles sonar abnormalities, and most importantly, lets himself believe that there might be something left of Atlantis to find. His eagerness to continue the search ties all of his other encounters together, making this book flow much more smoothly than the last. I can't wait to see how Roy improves on the next book in the series as well.


This is a great second book in a series. It takes us beyond the premise of the first book, but does not act ONLY as a bridge to the third book. No Second Book Syndrome here! The third book in the series, River Odyssey, will take Alfred, Hollie and Seaweed up the St. Lawrence River where Alfred hopes to find not only a sunken ocean-liner but his father.


Book source: Review copy from publisher

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delightful novel begins with something I have always believed:

"The thing is, people have never stopped talking about it (Atlantis). That doesn't make sense. Why would people talk about something for so long if it never existed."

I must admit that I was very impressed with this novel. It was fast paced, and really fun to read. Al is a very insightful and curious lead character who seems to have this natural ability to get himself in (and out of) trouble. While some of his perils were a tad over the top, I still loved reading about them. Each event is full of suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. All in all, Roy creates a wonderful tale that is sure to delight any child, while teaching them a valuable lesson or two.

[Teresa Bateman]

Give a 15-year-old boy a small homemade submarine, a dog, a seagull, and a mission and you have adventure. This is the second book in the Submarine Outlaw series. Despite the title, young Al is only an outlaw because he may not have all the appropriate paperwork. That does not stop him from rescuing folks, meeting movie stars, thwarting pirates, saving a desert community by fixing an old engine, and crossing the Atlantic to search for Atlantis. Did he find it? Ah, that's the question. This is another fast-paced adventure with a strong undercurrent of bravery and honesty. The author also creates a real feeling for the places Al experiences. Boys are sure to love this series.

[Isabella2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids loved Journey to Atlantis (book 2) even more than the first book in the series, (Submarine Outlaw). Philip Roy does a great job of appealing to the explorer in all of us. And he definitely raises the question of whether or not Atlantis exists. Al's travels in the Mediterranean are interesting, and magical. This is the kind of book that both girls and boys love; it's well-written and fascinating from start to finish. 5 stars, for sure!

[Beeflie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book out loud to my kids and my 10-year-old son just LOVED it and protested each time we had to put the book aside. I'll be seeing out the other books in the series.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books get better and better. I've always wondered about Atlantis, just like Alfred does. I also love the cover on this novel in the series....