Grouper Moon

Rating:
Summary: Life on the Reef
Review: First, the cover is so rich in color and detail it is a pleasure to let one's eyes wander, discovering all those life forms. The cover is as beautiful and precise as an illumination and the sense of movement under water is effective. So many illustrations of this kind are generalized but Shaw has combined accuracy with feeling, quite an accomplishment. This novel is written with authority and charm. the narrative drifts flawlessly between fantasy and reality. Without being didactic or political Shaw raises issues that are real for all of us and she treats all the characters with sympathy and dignity. Her honest, straightforward way of telling the stories of Renny the boy and Cooper the fish, without metaphor or allusion, gives the book a sense of authenticity, like good reporting, as she deftly weaves several themes into the larger narrative. If there is a larger lesson to be learned it might be summed up by the teacher's comment, "Just think of what has been accomplished by individuals working together, with a bit of time and patience. In a nicely paced, complex story that is what this book is about. "Cooper loved his life on the reef." I loved this book.

Rating:
Summary: Heartily recommended reading.
Review: Grouper Moon is a science adventure novel for young people. It is set in a beautiful, largely unspoiled Carribean island community that is likely to be developed as a tourist attraction. Wearing his treasured gift of a pair of used diving fins Renny, an adventuresome boy, swims beyond the reef drop-olff and into an underwater grotto, thus embarking on a startling adventure that will affect the sea life and the human community. Shaw's straightforward way of telling the story, without metaphor or allusion, gives the book a sense of authenticity, like good reporting, as she deftly weaves several themes into the narrative. She shows great skill as the story drifts flawlessly between fantasy and reality, a device that allows the reader to share several points of view. She treats all the characters with sympathy and dignity as they struggle with the impending commercial development of their island. She packs considerable information about the wildlife and the local culture into a delightful, sometimes funny, sometimes suspenseful story. As rich in detail as an illumination and with color so realistic one immediately has a sense of the movement of life underwater the cover illustration is nothing less than superb. Many illustrations of this kind are generalized or impressionistic, but this is accurate and beautiful at once. It deserves a key so that we can identify the dozens of plants and animals depicted. It is artistically and scientifically beautiful. If there is one lesson to be learned from this book it might be summed up by the teacher's comment, "Just think of what has been accomplished by individuals working together, with a bit of time and patience." In a nicely paced, complex story, that is what this book is about. "Cooper loved his life on the reef." I loved this book and heartily recommend it for its positive solutions to difficult problems, its sense of adventure, and its scientific accuracy.