The Great White Shark Scientist
Series
Scientists in the Field
by
Sy Montgomery
photographs by
Keith Ellenbogen
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Imprint
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN
9780544352988
Awards and Honors
The Kirkus Prize 2016 Nominee, Young Readers
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2016, Middle-Grade
NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books 2017
The Nonfiction Detectives, 2016 Best Nonfiction Books for Children
John Burroughs Riverby Award 2017
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
“How many great white sharks are swimming off Cape Cod’s famous beaches?” Scientist Greg Skomal is one of the scientists working to find out—but studying these misunderstood animals isn’t easy. Selected bibliography. Web resources. Index. Full-color maps, illustrations, and photographs.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
Details
Format
Page Count
80
Trim Size
11" x 9"
AR
6.2: points 3
Lexile
1000L
Genre
Nonfic
Scholastic Reading Counts
7
JLG Release
Aug 2016
Book Genres
Topics
Gregory Skomal. U.S. marine biologists. Biography. Great white sharks. Wildlife conservation. Marine resources conservation. Gray seals. Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Guadalupe Island.
Standard MARC Records
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Cover Art
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Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Booklist*, The Horn Book Magazine, The Horn Book Guide^, Kirkus Reviews*, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal*
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
[STARRED REVIEW]
Prepare to be enveloped in saltwater air and dizzying blue water in this latest entry from veteran author Montgomery. A tense opening line delivered by 52-year-old great white shark biologist Greg Skomal is sure to hook readers: “It’s pretty treacherous right here.” But as they will soon discover, for Skomal and team, the even greater danger is not seeing a great white at all. Montgomery deftly balances information and intrigue without delving into the sensational; the emphasis is always on providing unique insight into the fieldwork of scientists and the absolute patience and perseverance it takes to locate, identify, gather, and analyze scientific data under challenging circumstances. Her travels with Skomal and her journey into a shark cage with biologist Erick Higuera are evidence of a genuine interest in understanding great whites and reversing negative attitudes about them. Readers will come to learn that the perceived danger surrounding sharks does not always match reality (the prime example offered being the astounding number of Americans injured by toilets in comparison to shark-related deaths in a year) and that these creatures are in desperate need of quality protection and conservation efforts. Ellenbogen’s crystal clear photographs range from intimate shots of crew members and aquatic life to large aerial overviews of the inlets and waters they are sailing on—students will be sure to stop and linger over these gorgeous images. VERDICT Exceptionally written and highly recommended for those looking to give a timely summer boost to STEM collections.—Della Farrell, School Library Journal
Horn Book
Biologist Greg Skomal studies great white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod, using a variety of technologies, including video and telemetry, to document their burgeoning population as the marine ecology of Cape Cod changes. Montgomery and photographer Ellenbogen join Skomal aboard research ships and planes, then back in the lab, documenting, in a nearly real-time account, six days of scientific adventure in Massachusetts (and in the waters off Guadalupe Island, in Mexico, where the author meets sharks close-up in a shark cage and learns about documentation efforts by scientists in that region), plus one day of critical data analysis. One minute Montgomery recounts the technical details of shark tracking, the next minute relays the steps she needs to take to be safe on the ocean, and the next narrates an all-out shark chase, as researchers on a boat and in a plane work together in a successful shark identification bonanza. This approach fully immerses readers in the field research experience, as do the excellent photographs of people, sharks, and the environment. In, on, and especially above the ocean, Ellenbogen captures the majesty of the great whites as well as the beauty and impermanence of the Atlantic barrier islands, dunes, and shoreline. Text interludes include descriptions of shark anatomy and consideration of the relationship between local residents, sharks, and the tourist industry. Appended with maps, shark facts, a selected bibliography, web resources, and an index. danielle j. ford
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