Shark Beneath the Reef

Rating:
Summary: One of George's best
Review: From Jean Craighead George, best-loved author of more than eighty nature books for young readers, comes another marvelous story about a complex culture, family importance, and the vast relationship between humans and the natural world. This is one of her best, along the same line as the provocative WATER SKY--the story of a young man who learns about the whales of Arctic Alaska--and THE TALKING EARTH, about a girl who rows through the Everglades, befriending animals along the way. Although Ms. George is best-known for her classics, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN and the Newbery Medal-winning JULIE OF THE WOLVES, her other novels are great adventures, too. SHARK BENEATH THE REEF is the story of Tomas Torres, who, at fourteen, is learning about his changing home and trying to cope with the new decisions he must face, the most important being his choice to become a fisherman or a marine biologist. A great shark only complicates this decision, as Tomas's dream is to kill the shark and carry it into his small Mexican town above his head, with the bells of the mission tower ringing in praise. However, it is when Tomas comes face-to-face with the shark that he realizes how vital it is to his family's well-being, and he forgets his dream and thinks, more sensibly, like a man. The ending is one of the best parts about the story, when Tomas and his teacher discuss the varying faces of nature and how it cannot be controlled, although humans may think they'd like to and can. The entire story sparkles with details about the teeming life of the seaside environment, interesting, well-described characters, and the importance of legends and heroes to many cultures. Nature and animal lovers will enjoy reading about the different creatures and birds found in this part of the world, although not much is given to the shark to allay fears about its legendary ferocity.

Rating:
Summary: The Book wanders from the plot
Review: I gave this book a 2 star rating because it had an interesting plot, with a good story line and taught a lot about both Mestizo and Mexican culture, but there were many things about this book I did not like. One was Tomas's (the main character) daydreaming. He constantly dreamed about catching a shark and it was interesting at first, but it soon got old. I also didn't like how the book got into such detail about the reef. It gave a lot of information, but distracted me from the plot of the book. The author also didn't tell what happened when Tomas and his friend Griselda got into a fight. What happened? Did they make up? Did Griselda stay mad?

-Kahli, KMS

Rating:
Summary: Book has good plot but is unrealistic.
Review: I gave this book a 3 star rating. The plot was good and the characters were somewhat realistic. I took off some points, because the author had too many little stories revolving in one big story. They distracted me from the real plot in action. Also, Tomas was always daydreaming about catching the shark, but only a few times did he actually get a realistic plan. The story was too predictable, then, the author used too much detail and ran off the story, then finallly she realized belatedly that she wasn't following the plot. Tomas was too overconfident, and wasn't like a real boy. A real boy has more childish things to think about. The bottom line is, the book was definatly not the best that I have ever read. Eva, KMS

Rating:
Summary: Book has good plot but is unrealistic.
Review: REVIEWED BY BRENNAN SEELIE, AGE 10. Thomas Toraz is a 14 year old boy who lives with his grandparents off the coast of Baha California. Thomas has a grandpa named Ramone who owns the fishing camp that they live in. Thomas is a smart boy and has a chance to become a marine biologist but he knows his family needs him more at home. At home he would become a shark fisherman and fulfill his family tradition. Then one day he finds something that decides for him. Thomas Toraz is faced with the conflict of whether to earn fast money or go to school and get a good education. If he goes to school he could become a marine biologist. One day he comes home and finds out that the officials are making his family pay rent on their own island. Thomas finds out that his family cannot pay the rent. He feels like he must help his family earn the money quickly. One day his uncle comes home and says there is a whale shark in the shallows. Thomas did not want to leave the island so he decided to catch the shark and pay the rent with it. Whale sharks bring high prices. He tries to catch this large dumb fish for a long time. Every time he messes up. When he finally gets close enough to it, things are not as they appear. In the tradition of Jean Craighead George, this story is filled with excitement, mystery, and the wonders of nature. The reader will feel like they're on the island. I recommend this book to all nature buffs.

Rating:
Summary: ESCAPE FROM SUBURBIA AND GO TO A REMOTE ISLAND
Review: REVIEWED BY BRENNAN SEELIE, AGE 10. Thomas Toraz is a 14 year old boy who lives with his grandparents off the coast of Baha California. Thomas has a grandpa named Ramone who owns the fishing camp that they live in. Thomas is a smart boy and has a chance to become a marine biologist but he knows his family needs him more at home. At home he would become a shark fisherman and fulfill his family tradition. Then one day he finds something that decides for him. Thomas Toraz is faced with the conflict of whether to earn fast money or go to school and get a good education. If he goes to school he could become a marine biologist. One day he comes home and finds out that the officials are making his family pay rent on their own island. Thomas finds out that his family cannot pay the rent. He feels like he must help his family earn the money quickly. One day his uncle comes home and says there is a whale shark in the shallows. Thomas did not want to leave the island so he decided to catch the shark and pay the rent with it. Whale sharks bring high prices. He tries to catch this large dumb fish for a long time. Every time he messes up. When he finally gets close enough to it, things are not as they appear. In the tradition of Jean Craighead George, this story is filled with excitement, mystery, and the wonders of nature. The reader will feel like they're on the island. I recommend this book to all nature buffs.

Rating:
Summary: Shark Beneath the Reef
Review: Shark Beneath the Reef is an excellent book about a Mexican boy who lives near the Sea of Cortez. His family catches and sells sharks for a living. He heard about an enormous shark who lives under the coral shelf. He dreams of catching the shark and holding it above his head in the plaza as a hero. He is also making his mind on whether he is going to school or becoming a shark fisherman. Meanwhile, his family is suffering because the sharks have gone out of the area and they have very little to sell. The government officials also wants to begin taxing the fishermen because they are making the beach a tourist site. The family camp is on that beach, so they try to avoid the the officials as much as they can. I liked this book was because of the plot. It was action sometimes and drama at another. The positions of the plot sections were completely mixed up, but exactly in order. The moral was also astounding. I am still amazed at how the story ended out. I thought it would be a simple decision, but it turned out to be completely different. Absoluteley excellent literature. You have got to read it!

Rating:
Summary: The Adventures of Tomas
Review: The book, Shark Beneath the Reef, by Jean Craighead George is a wonderfully intriguing story and a magic to read. The tale of an adolescent Mexican boy growing into manhood and his dreams of becoming a fisherman is all a wonderful story in itself. But put together with his family's downfall, the price of growing up, and best of all, his epic adventures in the reefs, it is phenomenal. It is a delightful and emotional way of getting a dose of a dream, let alone a truly wonderful work of art. It is a masterpiece. Shark Beneath the Reef is an excellent book to read, especially for young adults because it is very detailed and full of adventure. It is detailed and has the reader turning pages constantly. The amount of detail is so great that it gives the reader an idea of what it is like to live in another world, whether an improvement or not from the average American teen's life today. For instance, Tomás, the main character's adventures in the coral reefs make you feel like you are really there. The detail leads you to wonder what the main character's mind tells him to do, and what he will do with his unusual talents. Besides containing great detail, the book is just plain capturing! Risking lives, a family's struggle, and strong friendships spice up the story and conclude the book making you hungry for more each time. For example, when Tomás is in a life-threatening situation with a huge shark, you can feel what he must be thinking, facing the shark. This book is a wonderful way of spending your reading time. Although this book is incredibly fun and inspiring to read, there was one part of it that might not appeal to everyone. The majority of the book is to the point and a wonderful experience, but the beginning of it is just a little bit vague and difficult to understand. It may not appeal to people who don't enjoy adventure stories or nature, but it will be a dream come true to those who do. It just requires patience because in the end the whole plot ties together. Don't let the beginning discourage you to finish the book, because you will be missing out on a wonderful tale of a boy who just wanted to dream, but whose dream became reality. Shark Beneath the Reef is a "must read" book.

Rating:
Summary: A better written review of Brennan Seelie's Review
Review: Thomas Toraz, fourteen year old boy, lives with his grandparents off the coast of Baja California. His grandpa, Ramone, owns the fishing camp that they live in. Thomas is a smart boy and has a chance to become a marine biologist if he stays is school. But he knows his family needs him more at home and could become a shark fisherman to fulfill his family tradition. He is faced with the conflict of whether to earn fast money or go to school and get a good education. He finds out that the officials are making his family pay rent on their own island but they aren't able to pay it and feels he needs to help and make money. His uncle says there is a whale shark in the shallows so he decided to try and catch the shark to pay the rent but messes up everytime. When he finally gets close enough to it, things are not as they appear.