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Aidan Versus the Ocean

By Dannika Patterson
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Brief Description
Dive into an exhilarating adventure with Aidan Versus the Ocean, a middle-grade novel about a young boy swept out to sea off the rugged West Australian coast. All Aidan thought he'd have to survive during the summer school holidays was yet another game of Fortnite with... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$1999
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

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Sudden storms, circling sharks, venomous snakes and fishing fails, this fast-paced survival adventure is a page-turner for middle-grade readers.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Dive into an exhilarating adventure with Aidan Versus the Ocean, a middle-grade novel about a young boy swept out to sea off the rugged West Australian coast.

All Aidan thought he'd have to survive during the summer school holidays was yet another game of Fortnite with his mates. But one teeny-tiny bad decision leads to a whole bunch, and he's forced to play a real-life game of survival off the wild West Australian coast.

With his Border Collie Barney by his side, will Aidan's courage, humour and grit, along with inspiration from a few celebrities, be enough to see him get safely home?

As well as being a thrilling independent read, Aidan Versus the Ocean aligns with the Australian Curriculum (Science, HASS, English). With key links and a full set of accompanying teaching notes spanning Years 4–7, this title would make an ideal whole class set mentor text or classroom read-aloud novel.

This survival story is perfect for middle-grade readers. They'll be hooked by the fast-paced action, survival tips, courage and humour Aidan uses as he struggles to survive in wild coastal Australia. They'll be kept on the edge of their seats with every battle Aidan faces as they discover if he'll ever be rescued.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781761113192

Publisher: Wombat Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 August 2026

Country: Australia

Imprint: Wombat Books

Illustration: B&W illustrations

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Heidi Cooper Smith

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 116

Collections

Children's Books Children's Fiction Children’s, Teenage and Educational Dannika Patterson Young Adult

About the Author

Dannika Patterson is a children’s author and presenter with degrees in journalism and psychology. She has written numerous picture books for children including Jacaranda Magic, Scribbly Gum Secrets, Heavy and Hedgehog the Wonder Dog. Dannika’s words and workshops entertain, educate and empower children in a gentle, joyful way. Aidan Versus the Ocean is her debut middle-grade novel. Heidi Cooper Smith's childhood was filled with drawing, and dreams of becoming an illustrator, but at university she fell in love with ceramics and spent the next 20 years elbow deep in clay. In 2014, she found herself with three children under four and joined an online illustration challenge during naptime to stay sane. Six months later, she was offered her first illustration contract and began writing soon after. Kate and the Thing is Heidi’s first book as author-illustrator. She has also illustrated The Other Brother (Penny Jaye) and the Amanda Commander series (Coral Vass) for Wombat Books.

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