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Aura can hold her breath underwater longer than most people because she is half telchine, an ancient race of sea creatures that lived in the warm waters around the island of Rhodes. But when an earthquake strikes while she is diving after a strange blue sponge, her foot gets trapped in a crevice and she almost drowns. Only her courage to cut herself free saves her life. The sponge turns out to be Poseidon's Gift, a magical creature that has the power to open the barrier between the telchine and human worlds. When Aura brings it to the surface to find her island home in ruins, she becomes caught up in an ancient war between the two races and must decide where her loyalty lies.
Read an extract HERE.
People still dive for sponges in the Mediterranean today, bringing them to the surface where they are dried in the sun before being sold for use in people's baths. They might look dull in your bathroom but these ancient creatures are very beautiful when alive in the depths of the ocean. As soon as I read about them I knew one of them would be magical, and so Poseidon's Gift was born. Click here to find out more about sea sponges.
What they said...
¬ "Bringing vivid thoughts of the tsunami disaster to mind... a story filled with the fabulous wonders of the series title and much complex action." School Librarian.
¬ "I really liked this book - it was very gripping. If there's another more enjoyable book this year, I'll eat my bookmarks!" Astrid Avalos, Teen Titles Book Review Magazine.
¬ "A magical tale of adventure that will capture the imagination..." Stroud News and Journal.
¬ "Magical." Primary Times
¬ "A fabulous read... Exciting from start to finish." bettybookmark.co.uk
The Colossus was a giant statue of the sun god Helios. He is often shown standing astride the harbour entrance with ships sailing between his legs. This might look impressive but would actually have been impossible, because his legs would have cracked with the weight! More likely the giant statue would have stood on a hill near the Temple of Helios with his legs firmly together, watching over the harbour rather like the Statue of Liberty watches over New York harbour today. Rhodes did not just have one colossal statue. According to some ancient writers, there were hundreds of giant statues all over the island! But the Colossus of Helios was the tallest, and would have looked much larger than all the others because of standing on the highest ground.
ASK THE UNICORN: Where on Rhodes did the Colossus stand?