#PBwkendread Review: Surrounded by Sharks by Michael Northrop

Title: Surrounded by Sharks
Author: Michael Northrop
Published: May 27, 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages:208
Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure
Review: Paperback
Buy Links: Amazon, Amazon.uk 

Dragged out to sea with nothing but a piece of trash to keep him afloat, Davey is certain things can't get any worse...and then he spots a shark.

He couldn't sleep. That's how it all started.
When Davey wakes, just as the sun is rising, he can't wait to slip out of the crammed hotel room he's sharing with his family. Leave it to his parents and kid brother to waste an entire day of their vacation sleeping in! Davey heads for the beach, book and glasses in hand, not bothering to leave a note. As the sparkling ocean entices him, he decides he will just test the water. Never mind that "No Swimming" sign. But when the waves pull him farther and farther out to sea, Davey finds himself surrounded not only by water, but something else--something circling below the surface.

So this was my weekend read and I was surprised I finished it within 2 hours of actually sitting down and reading it. Now it is being categorized as middle grade young adult but I would read this to my nine year old. I think he would enjoy the adventure of a young boy named Davey who finds himself in a situation of hopefully being rescued before the sharks make a meal out of him. 

The plot is super easy to follow, clean and the characters are very simple. 

I really don't want to write too long of a review as I feel I would give too much away. 

I really liked how Davey's brother Brandon sought out someone to listen to him as he knew what is brother would do and not do. We get a bit of insight from Davey on the types of sharks he sees while being in the ocean thank goodness for having some knowledge on that. 

#PBwkendread 

Michael Northrop is the New York Times bestselling author of Scholastic's new multi-platform series, TombQuest. His first young adult novel, Gentlemen, earned him a Publishers Weekly Flying Start citation, and his second, Trapped, was an Indie Next List selection. His first middle-grade novel, Plunked, was named one of the best children's books of the year by the New York Public Library and was selected for NPR's Backseat Book Club. He is originally from Salisbury, Connecticut, a small town in the foothills of the Berkshire mountains, where he mastered the arts of BB gun shooting, tree climbing, and field goal kicking with only moderate injuries. After graduating from NYU, he worked at Sports Illustrated Kids magazine for 12 years, the last five of those as baseball editor.