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Cover of Secrets of the Ocean: The Odyssey of Tunie and Runie by Devidasa Kawal

For educators

Illustrated early chapter book · Ages 7–10

A Read-Aloud Adventure Your Class Will Ask For Again

Secrets of the Ocean: The Odyssey of Tunie and Runie is an illustrated early chapter book for grades 2 to 4, written for the pure joy of reading and ready to teach, with a free Educator’s Guide, chapter-by-chapter lessons, and a standards alignment for your state.

Download the Educator’s GuidePDF · 53 pages · 1.9 MBDownload the Curriculum AlignmentPDF · 26 pages · 1.1 MB

Why Teachers Use It

When a storm sweeps their beach house out to sea, sisters Tunie and Runie must find their way home with an old map, a hungry gull named Fred, and a mysterious dolphin. Along the way, they learn that being brave does not mean you are not scared.

Built for the classroom.

Ten short chapters, each a natural stopping point, with a cliffhanger that keeps students asking for one more.

Accessible and rich.

Short sentences and lively dialogue support developing readers, while similes, sound words, and a clear story arc give you plenty to teach.

Ready to teach.

The free Educator’s Guide includes a lesson for every chapter, vocabulary lists, discussion questions, four writing units, ocean science and map extensions, and seven reproducible organizers.

Written by a teacher.

The author is a former New York City reading and writing teacher, and it shows in every lesson.

Ink line drawing of a stilt beach house with red shutters and a red flag, palm trees, gulls, and a rowboat at a small dock

Reading for Joy Comes First

We write for the pure pleasure of reading. A child who giggles at Runie, gasps when the house begins to float, and begs for one more chapter is a child falling in love with books, and that love does real work. Children who enjoy reading read more, and children who read more become stronger readers.

The habit needs protecting. In the national NAEP survey, the share of 9-year-olds who read for fun almost every day fell from 53% in 1984 to 39% in 2022. The early grades are the years to build it, with stories children want to keep reading.

Three ways to keep the joy in it

Read it aloud, with voices.

Give Tunie and Runie their own voices and stop at each cliffhanger. Let the groans tell you it is working.

Let children choose.

Add the book to your classroom library and let readers find it, reread it, and share it with a friend.

Talk like readers.

Begin with questions that have no wrong answer: Which sister are you more like? What would you pack for an adventure at sea?

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Table 221.30 (opens in a new tab) (NAEP Long-Term Trend).

Learning to Read and Becoming a Stronger Reader

Strong readers need two things working together: the ability to read the words on the page, and the language to understand them. Phonics and decodable books build the first. Rich stories, read aloud and read independently, build the second: vocabulary, background knowledge, and a feel for how stories work.

Secrets of the Ocean is written for that second job, and for the exciting moment when children are ready to practice their reading skills in a real chapter book.

Read-aloud, grades 1 and 2.

Long before children can read it alone, the story builds vocabulary, listening comprehension, and background knowledge about storms, tides, and maps.

Independent reading, grades 2 to 4.

For children who can decode, ten short chapters offer daily practice with connected text, building accuracy, fluency, and the stamina to finish a whole book.

Fluency practice.

Lively dialogue is made for expressive reading. Try partner reading, repeated reading of a favorite scene, and the readers theater ideas in the Educator’s Guide.

This is a trade chapter book, not a decodable text or a phonics program. It works alongside your foundational skills instruction and never replaces it.

Exploring the Parts of a Story

The ten chapters follow a classic story arc that young readers can map from the first page to the last. As they read, students meet every part of a story:

Parts of a story in Secrets of the Ocean
Part of the storyIn Secrets of the Ocean
CharactersTunie, the careful older sister; Runie, her bold little sister; Fred, a hungry gull; and a mysterious dolphin
SettingA beach house on stilts, then the open sea and an unknown island
ProblemA storm sweeps the house out to sea
GoalFind the way home
PlotOne challenge after another, with a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter
ResolutionNo spoilers here. Your students will want to find out for themselves.
ThemeBeing brave does not mean you are not scared

Students track these parts on the Story Map and Sequencing organizers in the free Educator’s Guide, then climb the plot mountain together as a class.

Supports: Common Core RL.2.5, RL.3.3, and RL.3.5; Florida B.E.S.T. ELA.2.R.1.1 and ELA.3.R.1.1; Texas TEKS 3.8(B) and 3.8(C).

These are the story elements recommended for teaching young readers in the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (opens in a new tab).

Writing and Creating Characters

The best way to learn to write a story is to study one you love. The sisters’ adventure makes a wonderful mentor text: short enough to hold in one hand, and rich enough to imitate.

Three mentor moments

Show a feeling

“She felt the job settle onto her shoulders like a heavy backpack.”

Chapter 2

Try it: show how a character feels by comparing the feeling to something you can hold.

Let dialogue reveal a character

“I’m fine!” Runie called back, not slowing down one bit. “FiFi can’t catch me!”

Chapter 1

Ask: What does this one line tell you about Runie?

Share a private thought

It’s nothing, she thought. I’m fine.

Chapter 1

Try it: let readers hear what your character will not say out loud.

Create your own character

Students invent a character with a trait, a wish, and a worry, give them a voice of their own, and set them off on a small adventure. Then they write the scene where that character has to be brave.

Supports: Common Core W.3.3; Florida B.E.S.T. ELA.3.C.1.2; Texas TEKS 3.12(A).

Download the New Classroom PagesPDF · 8 pages · 391 KB

A character-creation lesson, a Story Parts Organizer, a Character Creator, quick checks, and a note for science-of-reading classrooms.

Studying strong published writing is part of teaching the writing process, which the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers (opens in a new tab) supports with strong evidence.

The Book at a Glance

Secrets of the Ocean at a glance
FormatIllustrated early chapter book, 10 chapters, about 11,000 words
Ages7 to 10
GradesRead-aloud for grades 1 to 4; independent reading for grades 2 to 4
Reading levelAbout 550L (publisher’s estimate; not an official Lexile measure)
ThemesCourage, sisterhood and family, problem-solving, home, the ocean, storms and weather, maps and journeys
Focus skillsVisualizing, cause and effect, character traits, problem and solution, predicting, figurative language, point of view, character change, sequencing, theme
AvailableNow on Kindle

Standards and Curriculum Alignment

Every chapter connects to the reading, writing, speaking, and language standards you already teach. Our free Curriculum Alignment maps each chapter to grades 2, 3, and 4 in:

  • Common Core State Standards
  • California Common Core State Standards
  • Texas TEKS (English Language Arts and Reading)
  • Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards for ELA
  • New York State Next Generation ELA Learning Standards
  • Virginia English Standards of Learning (2024)
  • Georgia’s K-12 English Language Arts Standards

It also shows where the book pairs well with ocean, weather, character, and narrative writing units in widely used K-5 programs, with optional NGSS science and map connections and a note on fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension for structured literacy classrooms.

Strongest connections: character and plot, figurative language, point of view, narrative writing, fluency practice, and units on the sea, weather, and maps.

First page of the Educator’s Guide for Secrets of the Ocean
Download the Educator’s GuidePDF · 53 pages · 1.9 MBDownload the Curriculum AlignmentPDF · 26 pages · 1.1 MB

Prefer a spreadsheet? Download the alignment workbook (Excel) 168 KB

Secrets of the Ocean is a trade chapter book, not a decodable text, and is designed as a supplemental, independent-reading, or read-aloud title. Red Desk Press is not affiliated with or endorsed by any curriculum publisher or state agency. Program names belong to their owners and are used only to show where the book can pair well with your units.

How Our Books Fit Your District’s Curriculum

Your district already has a core reading program, and our books are not meant to replace it. Secrets of the Ocean is a supplemental title that fits the places every program leaves open:

  • Read-aloud alongside units on the ocean, weather, courage, family, and narrative writing
  • Independent reading and classroom libraries for grades 2 to 4
  • Small groups and book clubs, with readers theater for fluency
  • Mentor text for narrative writing and character study

It pairs well with widely used K-5 programs such as Wonders, Benchmark Advance, HMH Into Reading, Amplify CKLA, EL Education, and Wit & Wisdom. The free Curriculum Alignment shows the unit connections in detail.

For media specialists, coaches, and review committees

Everything you need to consider the book is free and open, with no sign-up: the Educator’s Guide with sample lessons, the standards alignment for seven standard sets, and supports for English learners.

Would you like a PDF review copy? Email dkawal@reddeskpress.com.

Red Desk Press is not affiliated with or endorsed by any curriculum publisher, school district, or state agency. Program names belong to their owners and appear only to show where the book can pair well with your units.

Classroom Ideas

Read-Aloud

Read one chapter a day for two weeks. Give Tunie and Runie their own voices, pause at each cliffhanger for a quick prediction, and let students echo the cliffs in Chapter 6.

Writing Workshop

Four ready-to-teach units: A Time I Was Brave (personal narrative), Mapmakers (map-making and descriptive writing), Tunie’s Journal (a diary in a character’s voice), and Take a Stand (opinion writing).

Ocean Science

Turn the story into science: keep a class weather chart like Dad’s, record the tides, build a model house on stilts and test it with “waves,” sort fish and mammals, and model how dunes protect a barrier island.

Map Skills

Use the sisters’ old map to teach the parts of a map, compass directions, and grid coordinates. Plot the voyage on a class map, then have students design and describe an island of their own.

From the Classroom to the Page

Devidasa Kawal is a former New York City teacher and a reading and writing specialist trained at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her years teaching young readers at Midtown West School and in Montessori classrooms inspired her to write books that make children fall in love with reading.

Add Tunie and Runie to Your Classroom Library

Secrets of the Ocean is available now on Kindle. Print editions and classroom and bulk ordering are coming soon.

  • KindleAvailable now
  • Print editionComing soon
  • Classroom setsComing soon

Get the Kindle Edition (opens in a new tab)

Questions about classroom sets or school visits? Email dkawal@reddeskpress.com.

Red Desk Children is a list of Red Desk Press, Tampa, Florida. reddeskpress.com

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