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blogginboutbooks's review
4.0
I enjoy Wendy Swore's gentle MG novels and this one, her newest, is no exception. My favorite thing about it, I think, is the strong sense of place. Laie, Hawaii, really comes alive in the book. I've been to Laie, but now I feel like I know the REAL Laie! The characters are also very sympathetic and likable. Alex is a kind, sensitive girl who's surrounded by friends and family who are also warm, compassionate, and supportive. As far as plot goes...at 287 pages, STRONG LIKE THE SEA is long for a contemporary MG story and it does feel slow at times. The treasure hunt/puzzle aspect is fun, but even that got a little dull for me, especially since it ends in such an anti-climatic way for something that's so central to the plot. True, solving the challenge isn't really what this book is about, but still. At its heart, this novel is a sweet story about family, friendship, respecting the natural world, overcoming fear, and finding the inner strength that's within each of us. I didn't love the book, but I liked it overall.
If I could, I would give STRONG LIKE THE SEA 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.
If I could, I would give STRONG LIKE THE SEA 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.
readergirl19's review
4.0
I want to thank NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for a eARC. Strong Like the Sea is a wonderful middle grade book. I love how they put Hawaiian culture in this story. I would recommend anyone to read this. I'm giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
briarrose1021's review against another edition
5.0
Twelve-year-old Alex lives in Hawaii, but doesn't go into the ocean. She had a bad experience with it when she was younger and now has a crippling fear that prevents her from enjoying swimming and surfing with her friends. Instead, she likes solving puzzles. The best puzzles are the challenges her mother, who works in counterintelligence, creates for her.
Alex's mother is currently on assignment, on a submarine - somewhere - and checks in Alex and her dad with a weekly phone call. While she's gone for this assignment, she's left a challenge for Alex to solve; a challenge that is even tougher than the ones she's had before. The puzzle clues are proving to be tricky, but when Alex's mom misses a scheduled phone call, the stakes suddenly seem much higher to Alex.
As Alex races to solve her mother's challenge, she will find herself facing all kinds of struggles - including some that have her facing her biggest fear of all.
This was such a fun book to read. It included so many aspects of life on Hawaii - not the touristy stuff, but life lived by the locals - that I almost felt like I was there. Even the descriptions of the storm were incredibly realistic.
The struggle that Alex faces about her fear of the water, including her inner thoughts, were real and raw, and elevated this book to a whole different level. Add to the the struggles that her dad is also dealing with from not only not knowing where his wife is, but also not even knowing if she's okay because they haven't heard from her and no one will give him any information about her. Those stressors are also preying on his own issues with being in control, the effects of which spill over into his interactions with Alex - some of those hurt my heart because you could feel how much both of them were struggling, yet neither of them could change/fix the problem.
I think my favorite character was Uncle. The reader, along with Alex, gets to know Uncle as the book progresses, and discover that he may not be the big grumpy old man he professes to be. And that scene at the end.... so good. No, I'm not going to tell you what it is. You'll have to read the book to find out. But you should - you really should.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. Having listened to her narrate other books, I am quite used to her cadence and think she is a wonderful narrator. She did a great job with the emotion and tension, really pulling me into the story. If you also listen to audiobooks, or even if you don't usually do so, you should give this one a try.
Alex's mother is currently on assignment, on a submarine - somewhere - and checks in Alex and her dad with a weekly phone call. While she's gone for this assignment, she's left a challenge for Alex to solve; a challenge that is even tougher than the ones she's had before. The puzzle clues are proving to be tricky, but when Alex's mom misses a scheduled phone call, the stakes suddenly seem much higher to Alex.
As Alex races to solve her mother's challenge, she will find herself facing all kinds of struggles - including some that have her facing her biggest fear of all.
This was such a fun book to read. It included so many aspects of life on Hawaii - not the touristy stuff, but life lived by the locals - that I almost felt like I was there. Even the descriptions of the storm were incredibly realistic.
The struggle that Alex faces about her fear of the water, including her inner thoughts, were real and raw, and elevated this book to a whole different level. Add to the the struggles that her dad is also dealing with from not only not knowing where his wife is, but also not even knowing if she's okay because they haven't heard from her and no one will give him any information about her. Those stressors are also preying on his own issues with being in control, the effects of which spill over into his interactions with Alex - some of those hurt my heart because you could feel how much both of them were struggling, yet neither of them could change/fix the problem.
I think my favorite character was Uncle. The reader, along with Alex, gets to know Uncle as the book progresses, and discover that he may not be the big grumpy old man he professes to be. And that scene at the end.... so good. No, I'm not going to tell you what it is. You'll have to read the book to find out. But you should - you really should.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. Having listened to her narrate other books, I am quite used to her cadence and think she is a wonderful narrator. She did a great job with the emotion and tension, really pulling me into the story. If you also listen to audiobooks, or even if you don't usually do so, you should give this one a try.
sassybookishmama's review
4.0
This book puts you right in Hawaii and it literally comes to life. You feel like you are there. The author does a phenomenal job at transporting you there which is always great when you are reading but especially when it comes to children's books. You want them to escape in a book and that is exactly what this books does for you. Not only are you transported to Hawaii but you get to meet this amazing girl named Alex. Her parents are quite unique as her mom works for a government agency doing classified work. I thought it was neat that she would leave Alex spy type challenges when she was gone for work. Her dad however is in a constant state of worry for his wife and cannot let go of "the schedule" .Very Type A personality. If its not on "The Schedule" it isn't happening.
I felt bad for Alex. Her parents set way too high expectations and she of course wants to please them. She also sets high expectations for herself as she wants to be just like her mom. Seriously I was stressed out for her! Oh and the cherry on top she doesn't know how to swim but lives in this amazing island!
Overall this was a great children's book. I can see this being a good read aloud or a book for older elementary to middle schoolers. The puzzles inside the book were fun to decipher and I can see how this would be enjoyable for kids.
audreylee's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Many children are overextended with every waking moment scheduled for activities. This story addresses the stresses of the schedule and a parent who is unavailable due to work. I loved the way these stresses were dealt with by the youth and adults alike. Throw in some codebreaking fun and conservation as well as the need to address one's fears and you have a great story.
stephbookshine's review
4.0
*I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author, Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
From the very beginning, and throughout the story, I was struck by the atmospheric setting. Hawaii came to life, to the extent that it almost felt like another main character: the language, the food, the flora and fauna, the sea and shore, the cultural practices and beliefs. These touches pervade the narrative, without ever overwhelming it, weaving smoothly in and out of the plot and characters, inseparable from any of them. I felt completely transported to somewhere unfamiliar, but inexplicably ‘home’.
Alex has an unusual life though, even when compared to her local friends instead of a middle-aged blogger in the UK! Her mother works for the government, doing top-secret, classified work, and leaves Alex spy-type challenges to solve while she is away on her missions. Meanwhile, her dad deals with his worries about her mum’s dangerous career by scheduling every second of their lives minutely, but forgetting to check what Alex might want or need to add to The Schedule. And if it isn’t on The Schedule, it isn’t happening.
So far, so much pressure. I spend the majority of the book wondering how on earth Alex was managing to function at all, crushed by the weight of her parent’s expectations and issues, and even more so by her own burning desperation to follow in her mum’s footsteps exactly – every milestone, every prize, every clue solved. Where is the time to just be a child, to just be herself, Alex?! Add to that a crippling fear of the ocean – living in Hawaii! – and you have the perfect recipe for an emotional breakdown.
Still, as a reader I was apart from all of that pressure and able to just enjoy trying to solve the puzzles myself! There is loads of fun to be had here: word puzzles, picture puzzles, symbols and ciphers. I can’t say I beat Alex to many of them (maybe not ANY of them!) but I got a lot of enjoyment from trying anyway. And there is an added bonus of a puzzle hidden in the book just for eagle-eyed readers to solve: a ‘secret ocean code’. Not a spoiler – I didn’t solve it, so let me know if you do!
I felt just a little flat at the end, because I didn’t feel that the big climactic moments in the story fully resolved that huge tension between the plans Alex’s parents have for her and the desires she has of her own. They touch upon the subject, and skirt around each others feelings about it, and the tension does lower from the boiling point to a background simmer, but I couldn’t help feeling that it may crop up again, as soon as the next stressful situation comes along. The more I reflected on it though, the more realistic I felt that was, as most huge, emotional family dramas cannot easily be resolved within such a short period of time.
I’ve been really impressed by both of the middle-grade books I have read from this author, and can’t wait to introduce Minishine to Alex and Sophie (A Monster Like Me) – a brilliant pair of young heroines, in a pair of thoughtful and thought-provoking coming-of-age/family-issue standalone novels.
'Mom might love me with riddles and codes, but Dad loves me with golden spirals and supply bags. I’ll have to do something extra nice for him to say thank you. Maybe I’ll pick up some li hing strawberry belts or crack seed from Sam’s store on the way home.'
– Wendy Swore, Strong Like the Sea
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2021/05/11/strong-like-the-sea-wendy-swore/
From the very beginning, and throughout the story, I was struck by the atmospheric setting. Hawaii came to life, to the extent that it almost felt like another main character: the language, the food, the flora and fauna, the sea and shore, the cultural practices and beliefs. These touches pervade the narrative, without ever overwhelming it, weaving smoothly in and out of the plot and characters, inseparable from any of them. I felt completely transported to somewhere unfamiliar, but inexplicably ‘home’.
Alex has an unusual life though, even when compared to her local friends instead of a middle-aged blogger in the UK! Her mother works for the government, doing top-secret, classified work, and leaves Alex spy-type challenges to solve while she is away on her missions. Meanwhile, her dad deals with his worries about her mum’s dangerous career by scheduling every second of their lives minutely, but forgetting to check what Alex might want or need to add to The Schedule. And if it isn’t on The Schedule, it isn’t happening.
So far, so much pressure. I spend the majority of the book wondering how on earth Alex was managing to function at all, crushed by the weight of her parent’s expectations and issues, and even more so by her own burning desperation to follow in her mum’s footsteps exactly – every milestone, every prize, every clue solved. Where is the time to just be a child, to just be herself, Alex?! Add to that a crippling fear of the ocean – living in Hawaii! – and you have the perfect recipe for an emotional breakdown.
Still, as a reader I was apart from all of that pressure and able to just enjoy trying to solve the puzzles myself! There is loads of fun to be had here: word puzzles, picture puzzles, symbols and ciphers. I can’t say I beat Alex to many of them (maybe not ANY of them!) but I got a lot of enjoyment from trying anyway. And there is an added bonus of a puzzle hidden in the book just for eagle-eyed readers to solve: a ‘secret ocean code’. Not a spoiler – I didn’t solve it, so let me know if you do!
I felt just a little flat at the end, because I didn’t feel that the big climactic moments in the story fully resolved that huge tension between the plans Alex’s parents have for her and the desires she has of her own. They touch upon the subject, and skirt around each others feelings about it, and the tension does lower from the boiling point to a background simmer, but I couldn’t help feeling that it may crop up again, as soon as the next stressful situation comes along. The more I reflected on it though, the more realistic I felt that was, as most huge, emotional family dramas cannot easily be resolved within such a short period of time.
I’ve been really impressed by both of the middle-grade books I have read from this author, and can’t wait to introduce Minishine to Alex and Sophie (A Monster Like Me) – a brilliant pair of young heroines, in a pair of thoughtful and thought-provoking coming-of-age/family-issue standalone novels.
'Mom might love me with riddles and codes, but Dad loves me with golden spirals and supply bags. I’ll have to do something extra nice for him to say thank you. Maybe I’ll pick up some li hing strawberry belts or crack seed from Sam’s store on the way home.'
– Wendy Swore, Strong Like the Sea
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2021/05/11/strong-like-the-sea-wendy-swore/
annelisegordon's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jilljemmett's review
4.0
Twelve-year-old Alexis was born in Hawaii but she’s scared of the water. Her mom travels with the navy, and she leaves codes and puzzles for Alexis to solve while she’s gone. Alexis has to solve her most difficult puzzle yet. She needs help to solve it, including from her grumpy Uncle. Before she can finish it, her mom goes missing. This becomes Alexis’s most important challenge, as she races to finish it to make her mom proud.
I would have loved this book when I was a kid. I loved puzzles and mystery stories. Alexis had many different types of puzzles to solve, including treasure hunts and codes. These sounded so fun, and may spark an interest in puzzles for young readers.
I loved the island setting. I haven’t been to Hawaii but I definitely want to go after reading this story. There were many Hawaiian terms used throughout the story, but they were either explained in the context of the sentence or in the glossary at the end. Food was an important part of the story as well. Most of it sounded really delicious, except for the stinky fruit they used to make a healing tea. I loved learning about Hawaiian culture in this story.
Strong Like the Sea is a great middle grade novel!
Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I would have loved this book when I was a kid. I loved puzzles and mystery stories. Alexis had many different types of puzzles to solve, including treasure hunts and codes. These sounded so fun, and may spark an interest in puzzles for young readers.
I loved the island setting. I haven’t been to Hawaii but I definitely want to go after reading this story. There were many Hawaiian terms used throughout the story, but they were either explained in the context of the sentence or in the glossary at the end. Food was an important part of the story as well. Most of it sounded really delicious, except for the stinky fruit they used to make a healing tea. I loved learning about Hawaiian culture in this story.
Strong Like the Sea is a great middle grade novel!
Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.