Seahorse Cove — Randy James White

A previously unknown species of seahorse is discovered by oceanologist Drew Boone and his daughter, Karissa, in the small New England town of Seaside Cove. Karissa has been withdrawn and troubled since her parents' divorce, and is spending the summer with her father. Karissa becomes the first kid to make contact with Star, a sea creature that is a unique hybrid of seahorse and normal horse. Her father believes Star is the result of seismic activity near an offshore oil drilling platform. Karissa is brought out of her shell by her friendship with Star and becomes the envy of the other children. Before long, other seahorses join Star on land, coming from an underwater passage at Seahorse Cove. All the kids claim their own seahorse as a family pet. One day, Martin Thompson, owner of the local offshore drilling site, sees a child riding his seahorse in the ocean. Thompson tracks down all the seahorses, confiscating them as his own property. He puts the seahorses in glass tanks and plans to open a theme park. The children are heartbroken as are the seahorses. Karissa organizes a peaceful protest of the theme park. What happens next is truly unbelievable.About the Author: Randy James White lives in Anaheim, California. This story came to me as a dream. I saw a little girl on a beach stroking the muzzle of a creature that looked to be a hybrid of a Shetland pony and a seahorse. I was going through a divorce myself at the time. A lot of the book is about how children of divorce can become disconnected from their parents. Publisher's website: http: //www.sbpra.com/RandyJamesWhit