Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (2)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- South Korea (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Sharks & Boys Not Quite As Gripping As It Sounds
1:06 PM

Enid's got issues. First, there's her philandering father, who's pressuring her for a he

As if fighting hunger, thirst, sunstroke, and bloodthirsty predators isn't quite bad enough, Enid's stuck doing it with some of her least favorite people. There was a point when she count

Funny thing, though - the closer Enid gets to death, the more she wants to live. It's a problematic hope, considering that with every passing hour the possibility of rescue becomes less likely, a shark attack seems imminent, and the chances of survival grow slimmer and slimmer ...
Sharks & Boys, a new YA novel by Kristen Tracy, tells a straight-up survival story. Its mainstreamed plot leaves little room for subtlety or real depth, but the life-or-death nature of it all does keep the story moving. Our heroine comes off as whiny and clingy, a double whammy that makes her both authentic and annoying (albeit in a funny way). I didn't feel a lot of connection to her or to any of the other characters, really - probably because there are way too many to keep track of (even on the raft, there were eight). What I really wanted from this book was complexity, good character development, and a little bit of psychological drama since, believe it or not, the story actually grew a little boring at times. Since it didn't have much of any of those things, I found myself more disappointed by Sharks & Boys than intrigued.
(Readalikes: Reminded me of Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith, Trapped by Michael Northrop, and Life of Pi by Yann Martel.)
Grade: C
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), depictions of underrage drinking, and sexual innuendo.
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Sharks & Boys from the generous folks at Disney/Hyperion. Thank you!
1 comment:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

Listening
The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
Exit by Belinda Bauer1 hour ago
-
-
Augusta Hawke by G. M. Malliet5 hours ago
-
-
Petrowskaja, Katja "Maybe Esther"9 hours ago
-
-
The Engagement Plot10 hours ago
-
-
-
Can’t Wait Wednesday!11 hours ago
-
Book Review: Maame by Jessica George12 hours ago
-
-
-
-
WWW Wednesday14 hours ago
-
26. Falling Out of Time22 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
No Life For a Lady by Hannah Dolby1 day ago
-
-
-
-
30 in 2023Fun Guide2 days ago
-
-
Graphic Novel Two-fer2 days ago
-
My January 2023 Round-up3 days ago
-
-
Sunday News #463 days ago
-
Sunday Salon: February 5, 20233 days ago
-
A couple of library books4 days ago
-
Sunday Post #4904 days ago
-
Books I Read in January 20236 days ago
-
-
-
-
Top Ten Books of 20224 weeks ago
-
Books Read in 20234 weeks ago
-
-
-
Nonfiction November 2022: New to My TBR2 months ago
-
Thinking Out Loud: Our Wives Under the Sea3 months ago
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?3 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen6 months ago
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
Thank for adding Literaturistic to your Book Bloggin' Buddies :)
ReplyDelete