Shark Summer (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
I didn't know a combination of "Jaws" and "Gravity Falls" would work so well, but consider me convinced! This a vibrant, intelligent graphic novel that will make for GREAT classroom discussion and analysis. (The ending in particular struck me as very sophisticated for a middle grade read). Definitely one of my favorites selected for Battle of the Books this year!
— Emily“Shark Summer is bursting with vibrant, expressive art....The characters are distinct and relatable...It’s a lovely read!”—Molly Knox Ostertag, author of the Witch Boy series
"Eloquently chronicled in Marcks’s cinematic panels, friendships are formed and repaired, parental relationships articulated, and inner conflicts expressed and resolved. A winning production." --KirkusWhen a Hollywood film crew arrives on Martha's Vineyard with a mechanical shark and a youth film contest boasting a huge cash prize, disgraced pitcher Gayle "Blue Streak" Briar sees a chance to turn a bad season into the best summer ever.
After recruiting aspiring cinematographer Elijah Jones and moody director Maddie Grey, Gayle and her crew set out to uncover the truth of the island's own phantom shark and win the prize money. But these unlikely friends are about to discover what happens when you turn your camera toward the bad things lurking below the surface.
Ira Marcks is a cartoonist living in Upstate New York with his wife, two cats, a dog, and lots of books he's been meaning to read. His love for ancient magic and possible futures has led him to create a warehouse of esoteric objects for the Hugo Award-winning magazine Weird Tales and to tell stories about villainous technology for the European Research Council. Shark Summer is his debut graphic novel.
"Marcks ... has accomplished an unusual feat with this cinematic homage: He has produced a meta-graphic novel that manages to deconstruct a genre, pay tribute to it and keep the reader happily inside it all at the same time. More popcorn please!"—The New York Times
"Shark Summer is bursting with vibrant, expressive art that transports the reader to a summer on Martha's Vineyard, with a mystery that weaves through local gossip and school drama. The characters are distinct and relatable - kids with unique interests and big dreams, trying to figure out how to be good friends to each other. It's a lovely read!"
—Molly Knox Ostertag, author-illustrator of the Witch Boy series
"A winning production."—Kirkus Reviews
"A strong addition to graphic novel shelves."—School Library Journal
"Shark Summer is bursting with vibrant, expressive art that transports the reader to a summer on Martha's Vineyard, with a mystery that weaves through local gossip and school drama. The characters are distinct and relatable - kids with unique interests and big dreams, trying to figure out how to be good friends to each other. It's a lovely read!"
—Molly Knox Ostertag, author-illustrator of the Witch Boy series
"A winning production."—Kirkus Reviews
"A strong addition to graphic novel shelves."—School Library Journal