<DIV>It begins with a day like any other day. Well, the weather is a bit strange but otherwise it's a totally normal day in San Francisco. A ragtag group of kids from the last-chance Greenly School are on a field trip aboard <I>The Defiant</I>?the ship of legendary explorer Sir Francisco de Ventana?when all of a sudden a pink flash lights up the sky and a huge wave unmoors the ship from the dock, with Archangel, Esme, Baron, Dwayne, Rose, and Carlos still aboard. Suddenly the kids find themselves sailing the open waters alone in a strange world they barely recognize.<BR><BR>Now the kid-crew of <I>The Defiant</I> must navigate dangerous waters, learn to survive life at sea, and decode the instructions in Ventana's mysterious guidebook, <I>The Codex Mare</I>. While searching for safe harbor, the crew discover strange colonies of other kids on tiny, isolated islands. They also find themselves being tailed by an ominous, red-sailed ship. Through their adventures, the students face hardships and catastrophes that test their resolve and their bond, and threaten their very survival.<BR><BR>A remarkable debut, <I>The Defiant</I> combines the global and moral explorations of <I>Gulliver's Travels</I> and the social dynamics of <I>Lord of the Flies</I> while creating a wholly original and exciting new world all its own.</DIV>