Indigo Blue 
Author: Jessica Watson
Publisher: Lothian Children's Books
Release Date: January 2018
R.R.P: $15.99
Pages: 244 pages
Alex feels like a fish out of water in her new hometown- the sleepy lakeside village of Boreen Point. As a distraction from what is quickly shaping up to be a very lonely year, Alex spends her savings on a rundown little yacht and throws herself into restoring it.
A curious discovery leads to the beginnings of a friendship, but it's Sam- the sailmaker's apprentice- and and his mysterious ways that capture Alex's attention and force her to question what is real and what matters most.
My review
Thoughts on the book: Indigo Blue is the new book from Bestselling author and Record-breaking sailor Jessica Watson. After her dad takes up a position overseas causing Alex to leave her life in Sydney to move to a small coastal town in Queensland where her Aunt lives to complete her last year of school. But after the first couple of days she still hasn't made any friends and it seems like she will be on her own for the rest of the year. Walking down the local marina, Alex spots a boat that she likes the look. Despite it needing a lot of work Alex decides to buy it, using her car savings, and makes it her new project to help her will the time away. While taking her sails to get fixed she meets the sailmaker's apprentice and a friendship is quickly formed. But when bringing Sam over to meet her Aunt Alex is dismayed when her aunt is extremely rude to her new friend. Why is her Aunt acting this way? As Alex starts working on her school project with her other new friend Sophie she learns of a women named Eliza who was part of some of the first settlers in the coastal town. Upon finding her diary there is an entry about a strange person she sees sitting on a rock who suddenly disappears and the only place they could have gone is into the water. Alex realises that she had seen the same thing when she first arrived and suddenly some things are becoming clear. Could her Aunt be right about Sam? Is he not what he seems?
Thank you so much to the amazing people from Hachette who sent me a copy of Indigo Blue for review. Most people would know who the author Jessica Watson is, if not here is a little bit about her. Jessica Watson is an Australian Sailor who at just 16 years of age circumnavigated the Southern Hemisphere solo in 210 days, basically she is the youngest person ever to sail around the world unassisted by anyone but herself. What I loved most about her return was when the prime minister called her a hero and Jessica replied with "I'm just an ordinary person, who had a dream, worked hard at it and proved that anything really is possible.' What is even more facinating about Jessica is that she has dyslexia yet has written her own blog, an autobiography and now her first novel. She really is someone who many people can look up to and be inspired by.
I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I was going to. For such a small book it certainly had a lot going on throughout it and was very well written. I loved our main character Alex and could see where Jessica may have based her on, as I see her a lot like Jessica. Alex didn't let this major change to her life affect her too much and when she brought her boat and started working on it you knew that this was what she was meant to do. Her friendship with Sam was also a highlight for me. They both bonded quickly over their love for the ocean and without Sam's help, Alex would have never been able to complete the rebuild of her boat. It was relatively easy to guess Sam's secret but I loved how Jessica put her own spin on it and went into a bit more detail with certain aspects of what Sam secret entails (sorry I'm really trying not to spoil all this for you). Sam secret also works in with the mysterious diary that Sophie and Alex find while working on their school project which I found worked really well together. We basically get two mysterys for the price of one.
I know I can't wait to read more from Jessica especially if they are ocean/water related as that is clearly where her strength lies. Well done Jessica Watson on a fantastic debut novel. You give hope to all of the people out there struggling with their dyslexia that if they put their mind to it they can do anything.
Rating: 4/5
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