Recently I am finding several online readers that at first glance are not “grabbing me.” (But then again, if a computer grabs you, you have bigger issues than a book not being interesting.) And, Pearl of the Sea by Anthony Silverston was one of those not at first grabbers. But once I got into it, things started looking up. Now, granted this is not a WOW BEST BOOK EVER! but a book that was a nice break from the fairly intense reads I was reading. And for the at least 10 and up crowd, it is a good introduction to the subjects. 
Originally published in late January of 2023, this is a fun story about friendship, hanging onto things, letting go of things, and trying to be okay in the process. Our main character befriends a “octopus sea monster of mythical proportions” after one of her dives looking for treasure. A smidgen of Moby Dick, a father-daughter and mother-daughter relationship arc, a little romance, and a splash of humor is given life by glossy illustrations that give support to a minimalistic text story.
The idea of being a kid/teen when your world is falling apart (mother has left, father always trying to find work, being a bit of an oddball) has been done before, and though maybe Silverston’s book is not completely freshly told, there was enough there that made me keep reading. It is short, but isn’t skimping on anything. It is cozy, cute and a graphic novel that is kid and parent friendly. Sure, there are a few “tense moments” when the octopus friend is being chased by the poachers, but honestly, I think I’ve seen worse in commercials. 
The only issue I really had with the book is that all the information I’ve found afterwards has said the book is set in South Africa. I either missed this fact while reading, or it isn’t mentioned. But it is a small part of things.