Thalia

James is following in his father's footsteps, descending deep into the caves below the Atlantic Ocean off of Cape Breton to learn to be a coal miner. Even though James is considered old enough to go to the deeps, his mother cautions him to take care. Coal mining is dangerous work -- and the only way his family can earn a living. Readers follow James down into the dark underworld, where he can hear the layers of rock shift around him. Will he survive his first day in the deeps? Beautifully illustrated with textured and shadowy acrylic paintings, "Boy of the Deeps" vividly illuminates and honors the lives of coal miners.