When thirteen year-old Samantha Steadman starts high school at an elite boarding school, little does she know that she will soon be fighting an ecological war for the survival of the endangered leatherback turtle.

Samantha and her friends - rich and sassy Jessie Delaney, and politician's daughter Nomusa Gule - take the fight from the classroom to the open seas. Their adventures range from dangerous night-time skirmishes with illegal fishermen, to crazy antics for television cameras.

Back at school, they have to deal with romances and heartbreaks, a joint musical production with the neighbouring boys' school, encounters with an eccentric bunch of teachers, conflicts with parents, and skirmishes with bitter rivals. The trio will need to work together to face their fears, and to hold on to the hope that individuals can make a difference.

Fun and funny, this feel-good story will appeal to tweens and younger teens.

(This is a fully revised edition of the 2011 edition.)