The Underwater Club is a heartwarming adventure chapter book story for 5-8 year olds

“Children dive deep to find a place of regulation, to seek a moment of peace away from a ‘busy’ brain, to discover a world less complicated and demanding than the one we have built for them above the surface.”

Up to 20% of (that’s 1 in 5) children in the UK are estimated to be neurodivergent. Yet, as a mother, author and neurodivergent myself, I have always felt that the characters we come across in children’s books don’t always represent this statistic.

In shorter chapter books for early readers, not only did I want to see more younger characters navigating an initial self-awareness of a possible neurodevelopment condition but as a swim teacher I have also always wished that there were more stories out about the joy of swimming!

In my new book, two children with special educational needs go on a super underwater adventure. They splash, they swim, they save animals and eventually discover that they can overcome challenges, just the way they are.

We turn and look out at the endless sea. Noisy and chaotic but also peaceful and perfect. The sea – the place I always long to be. The place that now, NEEDS me. RIGHT. I stand up and walk to the edge of the beach. I am needed. Just as I am.

The main character, Amber, has ADHD and loves being underwater (especially when she knows she shouldn’t be!). For many neurodivergent children, the deep pressure and trickling sounds of water can provide sensory release, escape and stimulation. Some children feel an urge to dive deep to find a place of regulation, to seek a moment of peace away from a ‘busy’ brain, to discover a world less complicated and demanding than the one we have built for them above the surface.

Seeing these moments of joy everyday, especially for children with additional needs, is what makes being a swim teacher the best job in the world. I wanted my story to capture just how magical the water can be (for all children!) and how for some, it is the once place where they can just be themselves.

I jiggle like the sea creature I was born to be. I twist and spin and dance. I think of ALL THE TIMES I have been told to ‘stop moving!’ and ‘sit down!’ and ‘be still!’ and I WRIGGLE them away. I think about the ocean, its CREATURES and its TIDES and its CURRENTS and how, like me, it is NEVER still.

The Underwater Club is an illustrated fantasy story perfect for those who have just learnt to read independently or who are still learning. I have designed it with neurodivergent readers in mind – it has lots of images, big text, short sentences and short chapters.

A huge thank you to children’s illustrator Farisa Addin for bringing my characters and their journeys to life with her beautiful artwork.

You can download and read chapter 1 for free and buy The Underwater Club on Amazon now.

I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Keep swimming, keep diving, keep being yourselves.