Charlie's Story: First Contact

The year is 2045, fourteen-year-old Samantha spends her days exploring the shallow reef behind her island home. With her world locked in a battle against rising seas, scientists deploy genetically modified corals to rebuild reefs and protect the coastline. No one expects the reefs to be a hotbed of evolution, but they are.

When an octopus flows off a rock in her lagoon, Samantha is startled. When he purposefully arranges coral on the sand, she is shocked. She is convinced the octopus is trying to communicate. How she responds may determine the shape of life on Earth.