Winner of the 2008 NAUTILUS GOLD AWARD in the category of Young Adult Fiction/FantasyMiho's backyard had always been the sea. The creatures within it were an endless source of fascination. But when the sea steals away her small family, she finds herself the ward of an uncle she has never met and submerged in a world she has never known: Japan. From the city of Nagoya to the seaside town of Goza, Miho struggles to fit in and navigate the language, the culture and her own grief. It is in Goza that she discovers her surprising family history and finds new teachers. She is befriended by an old man who becomes her Sensei and teaches her Sho-do, The Way of the Brush. And it is there she meets Gaia, the living entity of the Earth. Gaia grants her amazing powers to connect with the "minds in the water" and Miho is given access and understanding to all the world's oceans. Will she be able to use her powers to help balance the traditions of the past with the demands of the present? Can she overcome her outsider status to help others understand The Way of Water?

Gaia Girls: Way of the Water
By Lee Welles
Ages 9-12 336 pages Chelsea Green June 2007 Paperback
Miho has spent her life by the sea. Her parents annually follow the humpback whales to Hawaii in the winter and Alaska in the summer - or they did, at least until that dreadful day when Miho received a sealed package with five horrid little words: Lost at sea; presumed dead.

Now, at only ten years old, she is flying across the world to live with an uncle she has never met. With nothing but time and painful memories, she reflects on the last time she saw her parents. As they were packing up their boat for the day, Miho had seen an otter wave at her and begged her parents to let her stay and find it. Now she wishes she had ignored the otter and gone out to sea with her parents. She would much rather be “Lost at sea; presumed dead” than flying across the world surrounded by so much pain.

When she arrives at the airport, a driver is waiting to pick her up instead of her uncle coming himself. Things go downhill from there as she soon finds out her uncle lives in a tiny, cigarette-stinking apartment in the downtown of large, busy city of Nagoya. She also learns she is an outsider here. Part Japanese, part American, she towers over the Japanese inhabitants, and her green eyes clearly flag her as a Gaijin (stranger).

Miho’s life takes a dramatic turn, however, when her uncle takes her to Goza, a small town by the sea where he and her mother grew up. She feels at home with the sea, and her uncle appears to be more happy and relaxed. Miho soon bumps into the otter and it begins to speak to her. He explains that she has been chosen and begins to give her many powers as he teaches her about the creatures of the sea. She learns that the sea is in danger and is determined to find a way to convince her uncle that they must stay and live in Goza. But how can she accomplish this? And how can she save the creatures of the sea?

Gaia Girls: Way of Water is a heartwarming story of loss, love, and adventure. Miho introduces the reader to many of life’s lessons in a gentle and guiding way. In addition to the environmental message that forms a subtle yet stable foundation, the reader is reminded among many other things that life’s teachers come in many forms, that one must be careful not to be blinded by one’s immediate desires, and that, above all, we must work together as creatures of the planet, in both work and play.

Way of Water is the second in the “Gaia Girls” series. While each book forms a single independent story, they are interconnected, as are the elements of the earth. This fabulous collection is ageless in its readership and timeless in its wisdom. It is a recommended addition for every bookshelf and library collection, remembering of course to save space for the upcoming volumes. If these books are any indication, there are more great adventures just over the horizon.

Regan Windsor/2007 for curled up with a good kids book

National Radio Tour, Whole Foods Markets Tour. Interactive website contains puzzles, movie, blog and tips to help Gaia. Curriculum guide and support materials.

Lee Welles is a freelance writer who lives and works in upstate New York. The Gaia Girls series was inspired by a combination of her personal experience as a summer camp nature director, her love of the outdoors, and reading about the Gaia Theory. Ms. Welles regularly appears on television and radio as a wellness expert and writes a weekly wellness column. She lives in Corning, New York.