Alexandra Teague is the award-winning author of two books of poetry: Mortal Geography and The Wise and Foolish Builders. Recipient of the 2010 California Book Award, a 2006-08 Stegner Fellowship, and a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, Alexandra is an associate professor of poetry at University of Idaho and lives in Moscow, Idaho.

"When the Sea of Santiago appeared overnight in a cow pasture in Arkansas, it seemed, to some, a religious miracle. But to high school sophomore A.Z. McKinney, it's marked her chance to make history--as its first oceanographer. All she needs is to get out on the water. Her plan is easier said than done, considering the Sea's eccentric owner is only interested in its use as a tourist destination for beachgoers and devout pilgrims. Still, A.Z. is determined to uncover the secrets of the Sea--even if it means smuggling saline samples in her bathing suit"--