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reader4evr's review
3.0
This wasn't what I expected. There was a lot going on with how many characters who had to do with the main story line. I thought it was going to be a quick read but too me a little longer.
I think kids will still like it.
I think kids will still like it.
gmamartha's review
3.0
The events of one day covered in 200 pages, complete with relationships, personalities, emotions, and action.
celjla212's review
3.0
3.5 STARS
This is the first book I've ever read that had anything to do with sharks, but upon reading the synopsis of this book I was excited to give it a shot. Sharks have become a pretty well known symbol in pop culture now, and of course this all culminates in the much anticipated Shark Week that the Discovery Channel showcases every year.
In Surrounded by Sharks, the main character is indeed in the middle of a number of the predators. But to me, the more immediate danger would have been not the animals, but any number of other things that could have killed the boy: exposure, exhaustion, thirst, and above all, drowning.
The book starts off a bit slowly, but once the main character disappears, everything then moves very quickly. Davey is a 13 year old boy on vacation with his family on a tiny private island resort in Florida. A smart and deeply private boy, he is less than thrilled that he has to share one room with his little brother and parents. On the first day of their vacation, Davey wakes up early and decides to take a walk around the resort to try to find a quiet reading spot. He finds that spot in a hidden beach cove, but he decides to ignore the "No Swimming" sign and wade into the ocean a little anyway. Before he can do anything, he is swept away by the waves and ends up drifting more than two miles away from shore.
Davey's younger brother Brandon had noticed he was gone from the hotel room not long after he left, but he didn't inform his parents of this immediately. Probably the main thing that irritated me about the plot of the book is that there were so many mix ups, mistakes, and missed opportunities that I felt like Davey could have been rescued much sooner. I understand that all of this is a plot device to make particularly younger readers feel more of a sense of danger and urgency, but for an adult who can put this book away in just a couple of hours, it's more annoying than anything.
As I said before, the sharks are present in the book, but for myself I didn't feel like they were as menacing as I guess they were supposed to be. For most of the book, up until the last couple of chapters, all the sharks do is swim in circles below Davey. It seems they are nothing but curious about him, but to a 13 year old kid that is lost in the vast sea, it doesn't matter what the motivation of the sharks is.
I think middle grade readers will enjoy this read; it is split up into short, easy to read chapters and often the chapters end on a menacing note. I also believe it might make the kids who read it think twice about the consequences before they break any rules!
This is the first book I've ever read that had anything to do with sharks, but upon reading the synopsis of this book I was excited to give it a shot. Sharks have become a pretty well known symbol in pop culture now, and of course this all culminates in the much anticipated Shark Week that the Discovery Channel showcases every year.
In Surrounded by Sharks, the main character is indeed in the middle of a number of the predators. But to me, the more immediate danger would have been not the animals, but any number of other things that could have killed the boy: exposure, exhaustion, thirst, and above all, drowning.
The book starts off a bit slowly, but once the main character disappears, everything then moves very quickly. Davey is a 13 year old boy on vacation with his family on a tiny private island resort in Florida. A smart and deeply private boy, he is less than thrilled that he has to share one room with his little brother and parents. On the first day of their vacation, Davey wakes up early and decides to take a walk around the resort to try to find a quiet reading spot. He finds that spot in a hidden beach cove, but he decides to ignore the "No Swimming" sign and wade into the ocean a little anyway. Before he can do anything, he is swept away by the waves and ends up drifting more than two miles away from shore.
Davey's younger brother Brandon had noticed he was gone from the hotel room not long after he left, but he didn't inform his parents of this immediately. Probably the main thing that irritated me about the plot of the book is that there were so many mix ups, mistakes, and missed opportunities that I felt like Davey could have been rescued much sooner. I understand that all of this is a plot device to make particularly younger readers feel more of a sense of danger and urgency, but for an adult who can put this book away in just a couple of hours, it's more annoying than anything.
As I said before, the sharks are present in the book, but for myself I didn't feel like they were as menacing as I guess they were supposed to be. For most of the book, up until the last couple of chapters, all the sharks do is swim in circles below Davey. It seems they are nothing but curious about him, but to a 13 year old kid that is lost in the vast sea, it doesn't matter what the motivation of the sharks is.
I think middle grade readers will enjoy this read; it is split up into short, easy to read chapters and often the chapters end on a menacing note. I also believe it might make the kids who read it think twice about the consequences before they break any rules!
hayleybeale's review
3.0
What you see is what you get here - Davey is pulled out to see by a riptide and ends up...surrounded by sharks. Switching between Davey's coolheaded quest to survive and his family's increasingly panicky search for him, this is a well-paced and exciting read. And coming in at just over 200 pages, this will work well for reluctant readers.
retiredlibrarylady's review
3.0
A moderately exciting story about a 13 year old who is on vacation on an island off Key West with his family. He leaves the motel room early their first morning and unwisely decides to step into the water. Taken by surprise by a rip current, he is carried of to sea. The rest of the novel alternates between his fight to stay afloat and alive and the search for him back on the island. Some information about shark behavior adds to the interest, and the close finish is satisfying, except for the really too coincidental solution to the family's financial troubles.
deemazztan's review
4.0
Students are going to like this. Looking forward to book talking it in the fall.
annadseal's review
4.0
I liked this so much more than I thought I would. I'd honestly give it five stars if it weren't for the little brother cannon-balling the shark at the end of the book. Other than that, I thought it was suspenseful and surprisingly pretty informative when it came to the bits that were more or less from the sharks' points of view. Perfect for a middle school audience, and I can't wait to hear what my book club readers thought of it!
droar's review
3.0
This book was stressful. I mean, not in the usual way like 'who will live?' (It's a teen book guys), but in a building tension kind of way. It was probably not helped along by the fact that the ocean is terrifying on it's own. I actually enjoyed it, but still. Stressful.
thisgrrlreads's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me want to go vacation in the Florida Keys, in spite of the fact that all the kids were cranky and then there were sharks. Definitely a cautionary tale for swimming by yourself. But it wasn't a message book, it was about action! Action offshore where Davey is lost and on shore as they try to find him. There are some unbelievable moments but you're rooting so hard for everything to work out that it doesn't matter.