Ocean – Page 4 – Sneak Peek Books

The Raft

Robie feels lucky living on the small island of Midway which sits in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But sometimes being the only kid on the island makes her feel like she’s going crazy. To keep Robie sane, she goes to visit her aunt in Hawaii. After her aunt suddenly has to leave the island for work, Robie decides to catch a cargo flight home. When the plane hits a nasty storm, Robie thinks everything will be alright. Robie is wrong.

Suddenly, Robie is submerged in water. She’s fighting for her life. Then Max, the only other survivor, pulls her onto a raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of skittles. There are sharks. They have no idea if help is on the way. How long can they survive in the middle of the ocean?

The Raft is a sensational survival story that has several twists that will surprise readers. The story is told from Robie’s point of view, which allows her fears to jump to the surface. When Robie is on the raft, she finds a “Survival at Sea” card that adds irony to the story, as well as helps Robie stay alive. Robie clearly loves nature but also fears nature’s violence. Through Robie’s experiences, the story highlights the dangers humans pose to wildlife by throwing trash into the sea; this aspect of the story will encourage readers to make small changes that can dramatically help ocean creatures survive.

The story doesn’t only focus on survival at sea. Max is dealing with overcoming a tragedy. As his story unfolds, Max retells his story of love and loss. Readers will be pulled into his story and will cry at his loss. Max’s story adds suspense and a unique aspect to the story.

The story has short chapters, and some of the paragraphs are only one sentence; this makes the story easy to read as well as increases the story’s suspense. Robie makes several references to The Hunger Games which adds an interesting element to the story. The Raft is a fast-paced story that pulls the reader in from the very first chapter. Fans of survival stories will absolutely enjoy The Raft. For those who want to dip their toes into other ocean survival stories, add Adrift by Paul Griffin and Surrounded by Sharks by Michael Northrop to your reading list.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

While walking home, a man thinks Robie is someone he knows. The man attacks Robie. Unexpectedly, “a hand grabbed a chunk of my cornrows and yanked. My food went flying as I whipped around. . . He grabbed my cornrows tighter, forcing my head down so I could only look at the ground . . .” Some men begin yelling at the man, and he lets Robie go.
A shark attacks a seal, which is able to escape to the beach. To stop the seal’s suffering, Robie grabbed a board, and “just as I was ready to bring the board down, her head fell my way, both of her eyes looking up at mine. There was no surprised in her gaze. Like she expected me to be there. To help her. . . Then I cried out as I brought the board down as hard as I could.”
Max’s journal details how his girlfriend, Brandy, died in a car crash. His truck rolled over, and Max found her body. “Brandy lay where she’d been thrown through the windshield as soon as we’d rolled, just off the road. . . Oh God. Her neck was at an impossible angle, and I held her hand to my chest.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

Crap and holy crap are used occasionally.
Frickin’ is used five times. For example, when Robie was on an airplane, she “tried not to think about the dark and the water underneath us. Nothing by dark and all that frickin’ water.”
Hell is used several times. When a man sees Robie on a deserted island, he asks, “What the hell is she doing out here?”
Oh my God and Oh God are used as exclamations six times.
Pissed is used four times. Robie is upset when she drops a partial bag of Skittles, she “blubbered, as part of me cursed the carelessness that had just lost us all the food we had, and another part was just pissed that I hadn’t eaten them all when I had the chance.”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

When Robie is on a plane, an engine stops. She prayed, “God, please please let everything be okay. Please don’t let us crash and please just let me get to Midway. And please let them (the pilots) be calm when I look up there.”
The plane crashes, and Robie is pushed out into the ocean. When she is underwater, she prays, “God, please kill me already. This is more than I can take.” As she is still submerged, she prays, “God, please, let me reach the light. I want to live.”
Robie found a “Survival at Sea” card in the raft. As she was reading it, the card explained how to escape a fire caused by a plane’s oil slick. Robie thought, “Thank God for small favors. My plane crashed, but at least there wasn’t a fiery oil slick to deal with.”
When Robie hears a plane’s engine, Robie “said a silent prayer” hoping that it would find her.
When Robie finds a tube of Carmex, she “cradled it to my chest for a moment, thanking Max, thanking God, thanking whoever put that ditty bag on the beach.”
When Robie is worried that she is going to die, she says a prayer. Then she thinks, “When I was little, I did say my prayers every night. But when it was just me, and I was older, without Mom and Dad putting me to bed, I stopped. Midway didn’t even have a church. We did have a white cross though, on an edge of the island, overlooking the lagoon. . . Every Easter, the residents of Midway did gather at the cross at sunrise. Sometimes someone read from the Bible or said a few words. Usually we sang a hymn. This year I had slept in.. . I could bargain with God. Isn’t that what people did in these situations?” Robie decides she is too tired to plead her case, and God could make his own decision on what happens to her.
When Robie is rescued and calls her mom, her mom says, “thank God.”

Shawn Loves Sharks

Sean loves sharks. He has 126 shark books, which have taught him a lot about ocean predators. Sean loves how sharks have a big mouth full of sharp teeth. Sean does not love his classmate Stacy. He loves to pretend to be a shark and chase Stacy around the playground.

Sean loves sharks more than anything else in the world. When his teacher announces that every student will do a report on a predator, Sean is excited write about the shark. But he isn’t assigned the Great White Shark. When Stacy begins researching sharks and acting like one at school, Sean turns mean. Is there any way sharks can bring Sean and Stacy together?

Young shark lovers will love Sean Loves Sharks. Although the story has shark facts, it is also about building new friendships and discovering new things. Sean acts like a shark as he goes through his day—he chops his food and pretends to chomp the cat and his classmates as he chases them. When Sean is forced to learn about seals, he is incredibly disappointed, but as he reads he learns that seals are actually really amazing.

At one point, Sean is really mean to Stacy. As he thinks about his behavior, he realizes that “he knew that even a fast and clever seal could never be friends with a shark.” The conclusion is absolutely, adorably wonderful and will lead to some great discussions between parents and their young readers. Readers will not only learn facts about sharks and seals, but will also learn about bullying, friendship, and being kind to others.

Besides being an entertaining story, Sean Loves Sharks also has beautiful, often funny, full-colored illustrations. The illustrations will put giggles into young readers because humor is often incorporated into the pictures. For example, Sean’s cat is dressed as a shark, and the students pretend to be predators. Another positive aspect of the illustrations is that they show diverse characters; Stacy has dark hair and slanted eyes; Sean has brown skin; the students in the classroom are also drawn showing different ethnicities.

Even though Sean Loves Sharks is a picture book, the story is intended to be read aloud to a child, rather than for the child to read it for the first time independently. The engaging story is fun to read aloud. Since there is little text on each page, the story is a quick read making it an excellent bedtime story. Sean Loves Sharks is not only an entertaining story containing ocean creature facts but also has a positive message about being kind to others.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Aquaman: Undertow

Thirteen-year-old Arthur Curry wonders why his mother left when he was only three years old. He wonders why he doesn’t fit in with the other students at school. Arthur doesn’t like when other students call him freak or fish boy. When Claudia befriends him, Arthur wonders if she’ll decide he’s too weird to be her friend.

Arthur wants to learn about his mother. He also wants to figure out why he seems more comfortable talking to an octopus than kids his own age. When a huge storm strikes Amnesty Bay, Arthur discovers that he has the ability to help others. But should he help the boys who have bullied him for years?

Younger readers will enjoy Aquaman: Undertow because it shows that even superheroes can often be misunderstood. The short chapters and easy vocabulary make the book feasible for reluctant readers. The story does not follow the movie, which might disappoint some readers. The bullying conflict comes to a satisfying end that highlights the importance of helping others, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.

Aquaman: Undertow gives a unique insight into Arthur’s early teenage life. Although the plot is not well developed, readers will be able to relate to Arthur as he struggles with being bullied. The story has rough transitions, and some of the scenes end abruptly. The story jumps from Arthur’s current life to his nightmares, and then to Arthur’s father telling stories about the past. Despite the choppy transitions between scenes, readers will enjoy getting to know the boy who becomes Aquaman.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

At a school field trip, Arthur is looking at fish. “The next thing Arthur knew, a hand was palming the back of his head, and his face was shoved against the glass tank. Arthur winced.” A friend helps Arthur.
At the aquarium, two boys bully Arthur. One of the boys, “grabbed his shirt and banged him up against the glass. Arthur noticed that the crowd of classmates and other aquarium visitors were not staring at him. . . His back was pressed against the glass as Arthur watched Matta and Mike continue their taunting, their name calling, their bullying.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

Matt and Mike call Arthur names, including “freak” and “fish boy.”
Claudia calls a boy a “jerk” several times.
Arthur says “dang” once.
A boy says “frickin’” once.
A fisherman exclaims, “What the hell?!” Later another person asks the same question.

Supernatural

Arthur can understand how fish feel, can swim under water, and has superhuman strength.

Spiritual Content

None

Atlantia

The underwater world of Atlantia has been Rio’s home forever, but she dreams of living in the Above. When Rio has the chance to choose where to live, she wanted to choose the Above. But when her mother dies everything changes. Rio knows she must stay in the Below with her sister Bay. But when the day to choose comes, Bay makes the unexpected decision to go Above. Rio is stranded in the Below with no family. Now Rio only has questions. Was her mother murdered? If so, who wanted her dead? Why did Bay choose to go to the Above?

While Rio searches for her answers, she must hide her own secret. She has always hidden her powerful siren voice. When Rio’s estranged aunt Marie suddenly takes an interest in her, Rio wonders if Marie has discovered her secret. Can Marie be trusted to help Rio go Above, or will Marie lead her into danger? Rio hopes that Marie can answer her questions, but soon she learns that Atlantia’s history is more complex than the people have been told. Rio must listen to the voices of the past. And in the process, she hopes to save herself and her city.

The world of Atlantia is described in beautiful detail; however, the descriptions of a complex religion and history of the city make the beginning of the story slow. Although Rio is an interesting character, many may have a difficult time relating to her. When her sister Bay leaves to go to the Above, Rio is devastated and only thinks about how to join her sister in the Above. Because Rio had always planned to leave her sister, her motivation for going Above doesn’t ring true.

Atlantia is full of mystery, intrigue, and a dash of romance. Told from Rio’s point of view, readers get a look into what the world could look like if people destroy the land above the sea. Through Rio’s experiences, the reader will learn several positive messages including the importance of speaking up for yourself and others. Rio learns that many of the problems between the Above and the Below come from misunderstandings and fear. “People fear those who are different when really we are so much the same.” Rio realizes that “in order to save our city, we have to love each other more than ourselves.”

The ending of the story leaves a lot of unanswered questions, but it also has several surprises. Readers who want to read about mermaids should leave Atlantia on the shelf. Even though the story has sirens, the sirens are humans with a voice that can control people. If you enjoyed Ally Condie’s Matched series, and want to read more from the same author, just be aware that Atlantia is lacking the same action and suspense that makes the Matched series so enjoyable. Readers will either love or hate Atlantia. Some will find the slow pace and the lack of character development frustrating. However, others won’t be able to put the book down because of the mystery and the interesting premise.

Sexual Content

Someone saw Rio’s sister kissing a boy. The person said, “I don’t want to speak for them. But yes, it did seem like there was something between them. Something real.”
True kissed Rio. “Right here under the trees, right here on my lips, and then on my neck, his fingers strong on my back, pulling me hard and close to him. . . He is good at this. I am good at this. We are good at this.”
Rio and True are on a gondola when “true’s lips brush against mine and I kiss him back. We hold each other tight. Earlier, under the trees, we were hungry and relieved to touch each other. We are still hungry.”
Rio and True kiss. “True’s lips skim my cheekbone and then he finds my mouth and I kiss him back, reaching to touch the beautiful planes on his face.”

Violence

Marie tells a story about two siren sisters who fought in the temple. Their voices killed some of the worshippers who, “fell with blood streaming from their ears and terror in their eyes.” Because of the sisters, the Counsel put the sirens under their governance. One of the sisters didn’t agree with the new rules and committed suicide by drowning, “herself in the wishing pool.”
Rio’s mother was killed by the Counsel. The members, “called her in for a meeting. When she arrived, they gave her something to drink, as was the custom, and they had each put some of the poison in her cup. They all did it.”
When a transport takes a group of sirens to the Above, they are killed. “Another siren starts to run. Before she’s taken more than a few steps, the people in the boats shoot her down too. . . She doesn’t even breathe, only bleeds.” The scene takes place over several days.
One of the leaders of the Above is killed. The murder is not described but Rio sees the body and the “wild hair and his poor, dead face. I put my hand on his chest, but I feel no rise and fall, no heartbeat.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

The gods gave Atlantia a miracle by sending sirens, people who can use their voice to control others. “There have never been two sirens from the same family line. We’ve always believed that the siren voice was a gift from the gods, not simple genetics. In order to be a minister, a person must show that they “cannot be swayed by sirens. They are chosen, in part, for their ability to resist.”
Marie, a siren, has the ability to communicate through a shell. She gives Rio a shell and tells her, “all you have to do is ask a question into that shell and then listen for the answer to come back to you.” Marie can also record voices into the shell, but the voice can only be used once.
Marie can, “hear voices from people who are gone. Who died hundreds of years ago. I hear voices in the walls of Atlantia, especially siren voices. They’ve been saved up, embedded in the walls.”
One of the characters can tell if a siren is telling a lie. “If I listen closely, I can hear something in their voices when they’re not telling the truth. It sounds like the wrong note in a song.”

Spiritual Content

Atlantia’s gods are the same gods as the ones above, but they take different shapes. When the people came to Atlantia, the leaders, “assigned land-animal faces and bodies to the gods for those of us who worship Below, and sea forms for those Above.”
The Atlantia religion was, “agreed upon by the sirens and the people together. They studied old histories. They learned about the gods. And then they shaped it all to fit the way their lives were. The Counsel took our religion to the Above, and the Above began to believe as well.”
The people of Atlantia are taught that those who live below have a “short life, illness, weakness, and misery. . . It is fair. It is as the gods decreed at the time of the Divide. Some have to stay Above so that humanity might survive Below. . . Thanks to the gods for the sea where we live, for the air we breathe, for our lives in the Below.”
Rio’s mother told her that, “some people say that the sirens are miracles, not people. . . Can you imagine believing such a thing? People can be miracles.”
Rio’s mother told her, “The gods know everything. . . They know how difficult this is. And they are pleased with you.”
Rio’s friend said, “I believe in them (the gods) so much that I don’t think they need statues everywhere to be powerful.”
When a portion of Atlantia has to be sealed off, many people die. Rio prayed, “and it’s not to Efram or any of the tiger gods, or any of the gods at all. It’s their faces I picture; it’s hers. My mother’s.” Later, Rio again prays to her mother and the gods.
Some people worship Rio’s mother and light candles for her.
Rio learns that “the temple, the gods, all of it, was a façade, a conceit. It was a way to make things more beautiful. . . No one thought of the gods as gods. They thought they were gargoyles. Decorations.” But later, the “people came to believe.” Later Rio wonders what it would be like to fashion your own gods.

Into the Abyss

Gray and his alliance of shivers—Riptide, Coral, and AuzyAuzy—want peace. But Emperor Finnivus is determined to bring the entire ocean under his command. Even though Gray and his alliance defeated Finnivis’s armada once, the bloodthirsty emperor is determined to feast on the heads of every shark he conquers.

Despite a tragic loss, Gray must prepare his forces to defeat the emperor’s armada. With no one to tell Gray what to do, Gray must figure out a way to vanquish Finnivus and his evil forces. Gray and his friends are outnumbered by a superior force. The fate of the Big Blue depends on Gray leading his alliance to victory. Can Gray become the leader that his sharkkind need to defeat Finnivus’s evil?

The third installment of the Shark Wars series follows the same format as The Battle of Riptide. The majority of the story follows Gray and his alliance as they train to defeat Finnivus, and an epic battle ensues. Takiza appears less frequently, which allows Barkley to play a bigger role. Barkley must take his place as a leader, but he is frustrated because some of the other sharks don’t respect him. Instead, they insult his entire species. Barkley must use creative thinking to earn the respect of others. He learns, “If you want them to listen, you need to prove to them you’re listening too.”

The evil Finnivus becomes even more malicious. As his armada defeats other shivers, they capture pups and brainwash them into thinking Gray’s alliance is responsible for their parents’ deaths. During the battles, Finnivus uses the pups because he knows other shivers will be reluctant to hurt the younger sharks. Finnivus’s evil actions may upset some readers. Although the death count is high, the deaths are not described in a gory manner. However, the detailed deaths of some of the characters may disturb some readers.

Into the Abyss shows the difficulties of becoming a leader; however, by the end of the story Gray and Barkley both show admirable courage. As Gray tries to recruit orcas to help with the fight, he says, “What I know is that sometimes you have to swim out and be counted, no matter what. . . You’ve fooled yourselves into thinking that not taking a side is the best and fairest thing to do. . . By ignoring this evil, you join with it—because you allow it to happen.”

Readers who have read the previous books will enjoy following Gray and Barkley as they fight against evil. Although the story follows the same format as the previous series, the story still contains some surprises. Fluent readers will enjoy the comradery of the sharks as they join together to fight an epic battle, where good overcomes evil.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

Finnivus orders his armada to kill, “a pitiful force of prisoners. . . Moments after the command was shouted by Finnivus, it was over. Not a single one of the opposing hundred and fifty prisoners remained.”
Two mako shark assassins attack Gray. To defend himself, “Gray did a Bull Shark Rush at the closest shark, smashing him against a razor sharp coral wall. . .” Gray’s friends help defend him. One of the assassins, “had been speared by pointed rods of coral in three different places, including through the gills. . . The mako worked his jaws back and forth, close to death. He spit up a gob of blood as the light faded from his eyes.”
When a herald gives Finnivus bad news, the emperor eats her. “The emperor ripped off another piece of the royal herald who had the bad luck of having to deliver the message.”
Finnivus sends a group of pups to fight Gray’s armada. Lochlan leads the pups away and “the frenzied cluster of Indi pup mariners engulfed him. Lochlan winked at Gray. Then the AuzyAuzy King was swarmed by hundreds of sharks as the pups went into a feeding frenzy.” Gray wasn’t sure what to do, but, “time slowed as sharkkind died all around him, spiraling away to the Sparkle Blue.” Many sharks die before the end of the battle, which is described over eight pages.
Finnivus’s armada kills many of the Riptide scouts. “Finnivus ate one of the mangled prisoners immediately, not waiting for the royal seasoners to do their work.”
Takiza slaps Gray. “Takiza gave him another stinging slap on his snout. It was loud even in the heavy waters of the training field and made a crackling noise that echoed among the coral spires.”
Barkley and some of his friends capture an Indi pup, who is knocked out cold. When the pup comes to, he cries, “Don’t eat me alive! Send me to the Sparkle blue, but don’t eat me while I’m still alive!” Barkley is able to reunite the pup with a family member. Later, the pup tells Gray, “Finnivus told us about you! He said you were the ones who came and destroyed my home! You ate my mother and father—while they were still alive!”
Finnivus has urchins attack Whalem, who, “felt the acid drip from their bodies and howled.” Whalem dies.
An epic battle takes place over several days. During the battle, “Gray could see at least thirty or forty Indi sharkkind spiral downward in their death throes on the way to the Sparkle Blue.” During one of the fights, “the two armadas met with a howl and a crash, both sides ripping and tearing for their very lives. There were so many sharkkind whirling and twisting away in their death agonies that a constant cry of pain and anguish vibrated the waters all around them.” During this time, Finnivus kills his mariner prime. The battle takes place over three chapters.

Drugs and Alcohol

Valenka tries to poison Finnivus and his court.
Takiza gives Gray, “a large dose of maredsoo, the glowing deep-ocean energy greenie.”

Language

“Heck” is used once.
Finnivus calls someone a “dolt.”
Several times in the story a shark is called a “chowderhead” or other names like “jelly drifting flipper,” or “fat frill-face.”
When Gray hurts an octopus, the octopus calls him “a stupid jerk.”
Takiza insults Gray. “The betta basically called him an idiot in his wordy way.”
Barkley calls Gray a “fat lumpfish.”
Gray tells Takiza that he sounds like a “cranky shellhead.”
Whalem calls Finnivus an “idiot.”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

Sharks that die go to the “Sparkle Blue.”
Takiza tells Gray to “pray to Tyro.”
A shark prays to Tyro asking him for help.
Takiza tells Gray about a prophecy. “He shall come from the depths of ocean prehistory. . . a megalodon will arise and win the unwinnable war.” Takiza believes the prophecy is about Gray, but he admits prophecies, “are irritatingly unclear. But the verse does seem to be speaking of someone remarkably like you, in an uncomfortably similar situation to the one we find ourselves in today.”
When Whalem is knocked out, he sees, “sparkling lights everywhere.” He also sees his friends who are swimming in the Sparkle Blue. One of his friends tells him that it’s not his time. Later, “the colorful lights returned. How everything sparkled! Then, Whalem was with his friends again, and he was happy.”

The Battle of Riptide

Gray and Barkley have always had to worry about Goblin shiver, but now the fish are whispering of a greater threat. Finnivus has a vicious armada, and he plans on expanding his empire. Finnivus won’t stop killing until he is the emperor of the seven seas.

Gray isn’t sure what he can do, but then Takiza appears. Takiza, a wise and mysterious fighting fish, has made Gray his apprentice. With Takiza’s instruction, Gray will learn what it means to be a great warrior. Gray isn’t convinced that he can learn how to defeat Finnivus and his armada. Can Gray find the courage to fight? Will he lead his shiver to a victory or to their deaths?

The second installment of the Shark Wars series ramps up the action as shark shivers struggle to survive. Finnivus, a spoiled king, gives the story a new, interesting threat. Readers will root for Finnivus’s demise because the young shark is a truly self-centered, evil king. Although it is no surprise that Gray will have to face Finnivus, the shark action is nicely interwoven between Gray’s training scenes.

New, interesting characters are added, which allows readers to see how the sharks must work together to defeat Finnivus. The battle isn’t portrayed in a glamorous way, but is portrayed as being necessary to defeat evil. Although the death count is high, the deaths are not described in a gory manner. However, some readers may be upset when a shark eats her shivermates.

Readers who have not read Shark Wars may have difficulty understanding the dynamics of the characters. The sharks’ world is brought to life in a realistic, interesting way and includes shark language such as landsharks, shiver, chop chop, and greenie. The cover of the book has a picture of each shark, which allows readers to understand the size and physical differences of characters.

The Battle of Riptide explores the theme of loyalty and illustrates that loyalty should not be more important than doing what is right. The fast-paced story will keep readers interested with the well-developed characters, an evil king, and intense battle scenes. But the best part of the story is reading about Gray’s struggle to become a courageous leader worthy of being respected. With 242 pages and no pictures, Shark Wars is a good choice for fluent readers. Anyone who wants to swim into a good shark story will enjoy The Battle of Riptide. Readers will want to make sure they have the third book in the series, Into the Abyss, ready to read because even though Gray and his allies have won the battle, it is clear that the war will continue.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

When Snork gets stuck in the coral, Razor Shiver attacks. In order to defend his friend, Striker “hurtled out of nowhere and speared a streaking bull shark in the flank, butting it away from biting Gray. . . Barkley took on another bull as Shell rammed a third. It was a melee!” When Snork gets free, the group flees.
King Finnivus’s herald goes to talk to Razor. In anger, Razor, “roared and took the herald’s dorsal fin with one clean bite.” A battle ensues and, “after only a few fin flicks, there was blood everywhere. . . It was a slaughter. Then two Indi Shiver sharks—a blue shark and a mako—struck at Razor himself, one mauling his dorsal, the other taking his right fin. Razor was finished!” The attack happens over three pages.
Two sharks attack Gray and Barkley. “When Gray emerged from behind the pillar of coral, he was zooming straight at his attackers. Surprise! Gray smashed into the mako, snout to snout. He weighed much, much more than that shark and heard its spine audibly snap. It sank, a surprised look frozen on its face.” Barkley bites an attacking shark and, “the blue shark keeled over and sank, warm blood rising from the wound.” The attack happens over four pages.
Valenka plots Goblin’s death. She lures Goblin to a quiet location where ocean creatures inject him with poison. “The toxic dwellers stung Goblin on his belly and by the bends on his fines. Goblin screamed in frustration as the stonefish kept low and underneath him. . . Goblin stiffened as if he had swum into an invisible wall when the jellyfish stung him in the gills. . . With a last audible hiss, Goblin rolled belly up. . .Then Valenka bit Goblin in the gills.” The scene takes place over two pages.
After defeating Goblin shiver, the shiver is served to King Finnivus. Valenka takes part in the meal. “Valenka looked at the faces of her ex-shivermates arranged on a rock disc carried on the backs of four sea turtles. . . Halfway through the meal, Valenka discovered it wasn’t so bad. In fact, Streak was kind of tasty.”
When Finnivus demands Gray’s head for dinner, Gray attacks. “Gray roared, rocketing forward and catching the Indi mariners by surprise. He rammed the nearest one in the liver and ricocheted off two others. . .” Gray is able to escape and no one is injured.
The story ends with a multi-chapter battle. Many are killed, but most deaths are not described. During the battle, “Barkley barely avoided a bite at his left fin as he struggled to keep up. . . The richly tattooed armada commander, a young spinner shark, looked over an instant before Gray struck. The bite was clean and deep. Blood clouded the water as the spinner’s eyes rolled upward to the whites.” The Indi shiver retreats.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

Heck is used once.
Barkley tells another shark, “Suck algae, you big bully!”
Gray calls someone a “chowderheaded flipper.”
Two times, someone says, “Shut your cod hole before I rip off your tail and feed it to you.”
Finnivus yells at someone. “You are nothing but an old, krill-faced, jelly-brained drifter that my father should have gotten rid of a long time ago!”
Someone calls Gray a “jelly-brain.”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

Sharks that die go to the “Sparkle Blue.”

Shark Wars

Gray is bigger than the other sharks in his clan and when his stomach rumbles, Gray follows the food and gets into trouble. Gray is banished from his reef and is forced to journey into the Big Blue. Luckily, his best friend Barkley goes with him. As they hunt for food, they enter an ocean world where the battle for hunting grounds is fierce. Gray and Barkley must find out which sharks are friends and which sharks are foes. How will the two friends keep from becoming someone else’s dinner?

The action-packed story follows Gray, who struggles with his large size and his hunger. Because the story is written in the third person point of view, the reader knows that sharks are keeping secrets from Gray. The reader knows that Gray should not be so trusting, adding suspense to the story.

Shark Wars creates a believable world where sharks rule the underwater realm. As the shark clans fight for food, Gray struggles to learn fighting skills, as well as to determine which sharks are trustworthy. Gray learns that even though he doesn’t like a fellow shark, that doesn’t mean they cannot work together for the good of the group.

As Gray meets other fish, he wonders if he is “swimming a good current.” In the end, he discovers the importance of loyalty and standing up for his friends. Shark Wars teaches the importance of doing what is right. The author tells Gray’s struggle for survival in an interesting way. Altbacker includes shark language such as landsharks, shiver, chop chop, and greenie. The cover of the book has a picture of each shark, which allows readers to understand the size and physical differences of characters. With 248 pages and no pictures, Shark Wars is a good choice for fluent readers. For those wanting a story that combines sharks, friendship, and fighting, Shark Wars will keep you entertained. But be warned, once you read Gray and Barkley’s story, you will be hooked and want to have the next book of the series waiting on the shelf!

Sexual Content

Valenka rubs up against the male sharks when she is trying to convince them to do something. For example, when trying to convince Goblin to do something, Valenka, “rubbed against him and whispered in his ear.”

Violence

A tiger shark attacks Gray and Barkley. “Gray heard a satisfying ‘Whufff!’ as he rammed the shark in the soft underbelly by his liver. The tiger tried to turn but was momentarily paralyzed. Barkley hammered the dazed attacker next. Or he tried. Because of his small size, he bounced off like a sea horse against hard coral.”
Gray’s clan is attacked and many of them are sent to the Sparkle Blue. The attack is not described, but Gray is upset. “A reddish haze descended over his eyes as he thought of someone eating sharks from his shiver family.”
Goblin and other sharks attack Gray and his friends. “Gray swam towards Goblin, who taunted the sawfish by nipping at his tail as his other shiver sharks laughed. Gray picked up his pace by ferociously whipping his tail back and forth. . . Gray hit the great white in the side, doing no real damage but forcing him from Snork.
The sharks play a game where they try to eat wahoo, which are really fast fish.
A shark, Thrash, taunts a mother turtle and threatens to eat her babies. The shark “lazily slid with the current so he was now facing the turtles and blocking them from the safety of the greenie. He gnashed his teeth together. “ ‘Just swim inside! You won’t feel a thing’ . . . Thrash laughed and then opened his mouth to bite the momma turtle in half with his jagged teeth. She screeched in fear. . .” Another shark appears and stops Thrash.
Thrash taunts a beta fish, then gets beat up by it. “Then the little fish caught Thrash by the tip of his tail with its frilly fins and somehow swung him in circles! And fast. . . The little fish threw Thrash into the distance, several body lengths away.”
Two shark clans battle. “The cries of bloody victory and death receded until he only heard his heartbeat and the water whisking past his gills. Gray rammed one attacking bull hard, sending it spinning away just before it could bite Thrash. . . Goblin battered a blue shark away from Churn, then bit a dorsal fin off another.” Several sharks die. The battle takes place over four pages.
A group of Goblin’s shiver sharks set a trap and attack others. “Ripper barreled into Shell, knocking him senseless. . . Barkley didn’t even feel the tiger’s impact on his side. Suddenly he felt the water cool and sweet, and he was floating by the Coral Shiver reef.” The sharks are put into a cage.
In a fit of anger, Gray “whirled and gave Striker a tremendous tail slap to the face. Gray actually felt it all the way up to his spine.”
When Gray tries to free his friends, other sharks try to stop him. Thrash “launched himself at Gray, who barely missed losing his left fin. He jammed Thrash as he passed flank side with his dorsal fin, raking the tiger.” The battle is described over three pages.
There is an epic multipage fight between Goblin’s clan and another clan. “Everything was flashing teeth, blood, confusion, and above all, the thunderous fin of the Bluefin siege flashing by, a relentless, speeding, silvery mass. . . He [Gray] butted two attacking bulls off the safe area, and both were sucked into the Run as if jerked away by a giant octopus tentacle. . . Striker smashed into Shell’s pursuer, biting him in the gills and forcing the dying shark into the current.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

Gray gets stuck. When his friend teases him, Gray yells, “Shut your cod hole and push!”
A fish calls other fish “morons.”
Heck is used three times. For example, Goblin asks, “Who the heck are you?”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

Sharks that die go to the “Sparkle Blue.”

Third Grade Mermaid and the Narwhals

Cora wrote a story about narwhals and reads it in class. Vivian Shimmermore makes fun of Cora’s story, saying that narwhals are fake. To prove Vivian wrong, Cora and her friends travel across the open ocean to find a pod of narwhals before they migrate. Cora wants to show Vivian that narwhals are not just mythical creatures but really exist. Will Cora and her friends be able to find the narwhals before they migrate?

Third Grade Mermaid and the Narwhals has many elements that will appeal to younger readers. Readers will enjoy meeting Cora’s friends—a sea cucumber and a shrimp. Delightful cartoon illustrations appear on every page; this allows the reader to visualize the sea creatures and the characters’ emotions. Some of the conversations appears in speech bubbles, which helps break up the text into smaller parts.

As Cora travels to see the narwhals, she learns the importance of stepping out of her comfort zone. Through Cora’s interaction with Vivian, Cora was encouraged to go find the narwhals—a feat that Cora did not think she could accomplish. Cora clearly doesn’t like Vivian Shimmermore; however, when Vivian is afraid of the dark, Cora helps her overcome her fear. The story also teaches the importance of friends helping each other.

The story is told from Cora’s point of view, which allows her personality to shine. Nevertheless, Cora has several qualities that are not worth emulating. When her teacher asks Cora to enter a writing contest, Cora only agrees to participate so she can “put Vivian in her place for once.” Cora’s interactions with others, even her friends, are at times slightly mean and snippy. When Cora asks for permission to go find the narwhals, she nags her mother. “The ‘Yes Game’ went on for some time before Mother actually said yes for real. But the point is she did.”

The book also has several negative aspects. Even though Cora looks like a third-grader, the other two girls from her class look more like teenagers. The plot also doesn’t enforce the importance of hard work. When it is time for Cora to write her story, she falls asleep and decides to turn in her diary entry. Even though Cora did not have time to write her story, she still receives first place.

With short sentences, dialogue, and definitions of difficult words, Third Grade Mermaid and the Narwhals is an engaging, easy-to-read book. The plot revolves around Cora’s trip to see the narwhals; however, at the beginning of the story, the plot jumps around which may make it confusing for beginning readers. The story ends with facts about narwhals and narwhal vocabulary. Younger readers will enjoy Cora’s adventure, the illustrations, and the sea life, but hopefully readers will not imitate Cora’s negative personality traits.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist

Most people think sharks are scary monsters. But when Eugenie saw a shark, she thought they were beautiful. She dreamed of growing up and studying sharks. She wanted to show others how amazing sharks are. Discover how Eugenie became known as the Shark Lady.

Shark Lady follows Eugenie’s progress from a small child dreaming of sharks to a grown woman who made fantastic discoveries. Each page contains beautifully colored illustrations that bring the underwater world of sharks to life. Several of the pages have pictures of fish, with both their scientific name and their common name.

Even though some people believed Eugenie should be a secretary or a housewife, Eugenie never gave up on her dream. The story does not overlook the years of study and the hard work that Eugenie put into getting an education before she “finally dove into the open ocean.” Through Eugenie’s life experiences, readers will learn that “we must never let the world tell us what we can and can’t do. It especially can’t tell us how brave we will choose to be.”

At the conclusion of the story, there are fun facts about sharks and an illustrated timeline of Eugenie Clark’s life. The picture book Shark Lady will appeal to any reader who wants to learn about sea life. The many illustrations and short sentences make Shark Lady the perfect book to read aloud. The positive, true-life story of Eugenie will inspire children to never give up on their dreams.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Surrounded by Sharks

Early in the morning, Davey wakes up in a small hotel room surrounded by his family. He sneaks out of the room because he doesn’t want to waste any of the vacation sleeping. Davey, with a book in hand, heads to the beach. The beautiful ocean is too much of a temptation for Davey to resist. When he sees the No Swimming sign, he decides to just dip his toes in the water. But the waves tear Davey away from the island and soon he’s miles offshore. He’s surrounded by water—and something else. Sharks are circling below the surface, watching, and waiting. Davey’s terrified he will become the sharks’ next meal. Then no one will find out what happened to him.

Northrop writes with the perfect balance of suspense and action. The short chapters allow the reader to see Davey’s struggle, the sharks’ thoughts, and the action that is taking place back on the island. As the people on the island search for answers about where Davey could have disappeared to, the reader knows that Davey is about to become shark food. Switching between perspectives keeps the reader in suspense to the very end.

Every character in Surrounded by Sharks comes alive and their unique personalities add to the story’s atmosphere. Although the story revolves around Davey’s predicament, there are also several other teens that make the story relatable. While Davey’s two-parent family is not shown to be perfect, they clearly love each other. Surrounded by Sharks is an easy-to-read, suspenseful story that will keep even the most reluctant reader turning the pages until the very end.

Sexual Content

Davey is distracted by a girl because “her T-shirt was so light that he could see her bathing suit right through it. Or, wait . . . was that her bra?”

Violence

A shark tries to bite Davey. When it attacks, “the black eyes rolled back in its head, and its permanent frown widened for the bite, revealing two rows of sharp, serrated teeth. BONK! It hit the water cooler bottle.” Davey has the air knocked out of his lungs but is otherwise uninjured.
A shark attacks Davey. As Davey is being pulled into a boat, “the smaller shark surged forward below the surface and clamped onto Davey’s leg, harder this time. It swung its head to the side with surprising power and pulled Davey out of Drew’s grasp and clean off the side of the boat. Davey’s head dipped under the water, and a mouthful of seawater slipped into his lungs.” Davey is saved.

Drugs and Alcohol

Davey sits by a bar stand on the beach and worries about getting drunk off the fumes because then he’d get in trouble if he was “stumbling back into the hotel room completely blitzed on alcohol vapors.”
One of the characters, Zeke, had “been out at the local bars the night before. It was what they called ‘a late night’ in most places. . .” Later Zeke is described as having a “faint smell of booze.”
A man at the bar stand tells someone, “Come back at eleven. Mimosas and Bloody Marys. Full bar at noon.”
A character goes into a liquor store, but his wife doesn’t approve.

Language

“Frickin’” is used several times.
“Oh my god” and “god” are used as exclamations several times. For example, after being pulled into the ocean by a riptide, Davey thinks, “Oh my god, I’m an idiot!”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

While out in the ocean, Davey believes thata he sees land and thinks “Thank God.”

Polaris

During the 1830s, the Polaris sets sail on a scientific mission to the Amazon jungle. The crew is excited to bring back new discoveries, but when the landing party returns, only half are alive. After an argument, the crew loads a chest into the bowels of the ship. After they begin their trip home, a bloody mutiny leaves most of the adult crew dead. Those who live, flee the ship, leaving six children—none of whom are older than twelve. The captain’s 12-year-old nephew Owen, a botanist’s assistant, and other deckhands struggle for survival. Soon they realize that the sea isn’t their only worry. Something else is lurking below deck, and it’s growing.

From the first page, Polaris will capture reader’s attention and they will not want to put the book down. With just the right mix of suspense and action, Polaris makes the fight for survival come to life. Full of realistic detail and nautical facts, readers will be pulled into the frightening atmosphere of Polaris. The story is appropriate for younger readers with tame battle scenes. This fast-paced story has well-developed characters that show the importance of working together despite the fact that they do not like each other. With a diverse cast of characters, an engaging plotline, and an epic battle scene, Polaris will not disappoint those looking for an excellent horror story. But be warned, the creepy creature may make its way into the nightmares of readers.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

A character thinks about a boy, who “had blown up trying to carry two cartridges (of gun powder) at once.”
A mutiny begins among the adult crew. The children listen to the fighting through a locked door and hear gunshots as well as someone being thrown into the sea. Then the boys hear, “three shots rang out in quick succession—the officer’s pistols. Shrieks of pain mixed with the shouts of rage, telling Owen that the rest of the work would be done with blades and hands.”
Owen shoots the creature. “Owen heard a quick sound behind him—tik-taclik! —like metal on bone.” Then, the boys pour boiling water on him. When the creature flees, someone stabs it with a spear.
When the creature snatches one of the boys, someone shoots the creature. “Per-KRACK went the pistol. A flash of flame and a billowing plume of smoke shot forth.”
A boy hits Owen over the head with a hatchet. Owen is not seriously injured.
When the creature tries to snatch another person, there is a fight that takes place over several pages. When someone shoots it, “the lead ball ricocheted off the thick armor plating of its thorax.” When Owen throws the pistol at it, “the butt of the pistol smacked heavily into what had been Obed’s forehead. The creature staggered backwards. . .” No one is injured.
The creature attacks the boys. The battle takes place over several chapters. During the battle, “A dark red rat-like creature emerged from the hatch, then a second, and then they all began to pour out. One dozen, two dozen.” The kids rig a device to blow up the ship after they have jumped off.

Drugs and Alcohol

Owen thinks about his uncle and father. “His uncle had taken him in after his mother’s death and his father’s descent into sorrow—and the bottle.”

Language

When the crewmembers discuss being infected with spores, someone thinks, “Oh God. . . What if it’s me?”

Supernatural

The children believe the ghost of Obed Macy is haunting the lower deck of the ship. They discuss if a Bible and cross will ward off the ghost.

Spiritual Content

During a storm, a character begins “the Lord’s prayer.”
A character prays, “Lord help us all.”

ADRIFT

Matt went to the party to see a beautiful girl. He never expected that decision would alter his life forever. In a strange turn of events, Matt and John end up adrift in a boat with three rich kids. They assumed they would be rescued quickly. They assumed wrong.

Matt and John are used to banding together to help each other. By when five people are fighting for survival, it’s difficult to know how far each person will go to stay alive. When Matt begins to fall in love with Driana, conflict builds. The group needs to work together to stay alive, but growing mistrust makes that impossible. After all, no one wants to be the first to die.

Adrift is a gripping tale that will capture readers’ attention right from the start. Even though most of the action takes place on a boat in the open sea, there is plenty of suspense to keep the story interesting. The story doesn’t only focus on the struggle of being lost at sea, but sprinkles in mystery because something happened in the past—something bad—and that secret has shaped both Matt and John.

Besides being an entertaining story, Adrift is easy to read and shows the complicated nature of humans. Although the story explores the idea of killing a sick person to save oneself, in the end, the characters act with compassion. One positive aspect of this story is that characters show the importance of telling the truth—even if the truth is ugly.

Sexual Content

Matt and Driana kiss twice. The first time Driana, “kissed my eyes and then my lips . . . We kissed and kissed.” The second time Driana, “kissed me fast and then pulled away, and then she leaned in for a longer, harder one and lingered, and then she pushed away really hard. . .”

Violence

One of the characters tries to hug a dolphin. “It bucked, and its tail kicked up into the Windsurfer. . . Maybe I only imagined the bones crack, but her arm from her elbow down was facing the wrong way, and a slick red bone tip pierced her skin. . . blood pulsed from the rip in her arm . . . ”
John and Matt were told about a character whose, “mother was gunned down in front of her. . . A drug deal went bad and Stef’s mom was hit in the cross fire. . . Stef was holding her when she bled out. She was five years old, and she remembers it like it was yesterday.”
Throughout the story, the death of John’s father, Mr. Costello, is talked about. In the beginning of the book, the reader gets snatches of information such as, “When his father’s blood spattered my face.”
Several years before the story begins, John’s father is shot. The incident is described over several pages. Matt tells the story. He said, “It wasn’t the blood that freaked me out. . . Mr. Costello took all three bullets fired into the front seat. His body is pinned against the driver’s side door.”
At a baseball game, there is a group of men who are spitting at the coach. “Mr. Costello helps him up. He drags him to the ball-field exit and throws him into the parking lot.”
John tries to kill a baby porpoise, so they can eat it. John hits him with a harpoon, drags it onto the boat, and then hits it one the head with a hammer. “I heard a popping sound, and then another one when John swung the hammer into the porpoise’s temple. The porpoise writhed and bucked and flopped right out of the boat.”
When a shark tries to eat one of the boys, John hits it with a hammer.
One of the boys goes “out of his mind.” Dri is trying to comfort him when, “He screamed and flung her off. Her head smacked the bench cabinet. Blood drops hit the water on the deck and spread out like exploding red stars.” Matt steps in between the two and, “Drove the heels of my hands into JoJo’s chest. . . JoJo came back at me with a fist to my shoulder. The force of the punch tumbled into my spine, my legs. . . I hit the floor of the boat hard enough to see stars. . .”
JoJo jumps into the open ocean and is eaten by sharks. “. . . a shark bit his shoulder and shook him to tear away the skin. He didn’t have time to scream before another shark clamped its mouth over his head.”
John hits Matt. “When I turned back his fist smashed my face. Lights out.”

Drugs and Alcohol

There are several detectives looking for the missing teens. A detective’s memo stated, “Also, Castello’s mother was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning. Apparently this wasn’t the first time.” Later Matt said, “After Mr. Costello was killed, she drank to the point she couldn’t work.”
One of the characters takes drugs for his depression. “One is pink, the other yellow, another light blue.”

Language

None

Supernatural

Matt occasionally sees a ghost. “I meet him [the ghost] in my nightmare. He lay in the front seat of the car with his skull smashed in. Mr. Costello opened his eyes and cried blood tears. The ghost had never spoken to me before, but that morning he said, Matt, it’s time to wake up.”
Matt says that Mr. Costello’s ghost is everywhere. “He looks so lost and sad. Like he wants to tell me something, but can’t talk because his neck is all blown out. His voice is gone.”
At the end of the story, Matt says, “. . . sometimes Mr. Costello is there . . . Once in a while he follows me. He doesn’t mean any harm, and he isn’t bleeding anymore. The wounds are gone. He can talk now, but he doesn’t.”

Spiritual Content

While looking at the sky, one of the characters says, “To get to see this? God loves us. Truly we are loved.”
A character asks Matt if he is a believer, then goes on to say, “I believe God sent you both. You especially. . . You have a talent for remaining calm. This is the way God made you.”
In a conversation, Matt is told, “God is watching out for us.” When Matt is asked if he believes, he replies, “Only when I’m taking a test I didn’t study for.”
There are several references to God such as, “Thank God we have more money than they do.”
One of the characters says, “The universe provides.” In response, John thinks, “For some people, the universe provides. The rest of us scramble.”

Shark Bait

Sam expected to view sea life while on vacation at the Great Barrier Reef. What he didn’t expect was to become shark prey. But when a huge wave hits Sam and another boy, they are swept into the open ocean. Sam must keep himself and his new friend, Michi, from drowning. He also has to worry about the predators that lurk underwater.

When Sam and Michi finally see land, their troubles are far from over. Michi’s foot gets stuck in a giant clam and when Sam goes for help, smugglers throw him in a cage with an angry bird. Sam must figure out a way to escape in time to help Michi get to shore before the tide comes in.

Action-packed suspense will keep readers turning the pages of Shark Bait. Because Sam tells his own story, the reader will be able to relate to his fear and determination. Although Sam seems to have the worst luck in the world, his story is believable. Shark Bait is an easy-to-read story that is sure to entertain.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

A shark attacks Sam. “I felt myself knocked head over heels. The next moment I was upside down, looking back through the inverted V of my splayed white legs . . . I couldn’t believe a real live shark had just head-butted me and then swum away.” When a shark bites the cast on Sam’s foot, Sam “hit my attacker in the eye” and the shark lets go.
During the night, a boat hits Sam. “It spun me around, rolling me helplessly along the hull beneath the water line . . . The hull wacked me again, on the shoulder this time.”
Sam wrestles with a sea snake. “Grabbing its neck with my other hand, I yanked it off my watch . . . It coiled itself into a writhing green football around my wrist and arm, its mouth biting and snapping in my tightly clenched fingers.”
Michi attacks a smuggler, who is holding Sam captive. “Michi darted forward and tripped the smuggler with his stick . . .” Then Michi uses a karate kick. “The toe of Michi’s heavy leather shoe struck him squarely in the temple. Whomp! Baldy went down like a sack of wet cement.”
A smuggler throws a spear at Michi, but no one is injured. Later Michi kicks the smuggler and the man “fell in a heap.”
A smuggler shoots a gun at the boys.
A smuggler tries to stab Sam with a bowie knife. Sam “formed a karate ridge-hand and struck him with all my strength right on the point of his elbow . . . he screamed, dropped the knife, and slid from view.”

Drugs and Alcohol