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The Shark Prince by Malia Maunakea

MMGM Review: The Shark Prince by Malia Maunakea

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The Shark Prince
Malia Maunakea
Penguin Workshop
Published May 5, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Shark Prince

From the award-winning author of the Lei and the Legends duology comes a sharp new fantasy about a Hawaiian boy who can transform into what people fear most: a shark.

Why go to school if you’re destined to die?

In a small Hawaiian village, Nohea is the latest son in a long line of male ancestors with a horrible secret: he’s half-human, half-shark. After his father—also cursed as a shark—kills someone who is surfing and subsequently disappears, Nohea is left isolated with only his mom as company. He knows he’ll suffer the same fate one day, so he can’t go to school or make any friends.

Worse yet, when he eventually succumbs to his shark-like cravings, he’ll be put to death and his family will be kicked out of their home on the Hawaiian homelands. But when Nohea sees a flyer for a surf competition three valleys over, he realizes the prize money might be enough to move his family to a new home when he’s gone. The catch? The competition is for school teams only.

So taking the biggest risk yet, Nohea joins the local public seventh-grade class, where he makes new friends, contends with a school bully, and gets so angry, he discovers a new row of supersharp teeth in his mouth! But this is only the beginning of Nohea’s problems.

Because soon, Nohea realizes that, one by one, his surfing friends are disappearing. Is Nohea killing his classmates without knowing it? Or is something even more dangerous afoot?

My Review

As a kid raised in the era that heavily emphasized sharks as beautiful, intelligent creatures rather than violent man-eating monsters, this book started out a little rough for me. Nohea lives in fear of the inevitable moment that he’ll become a monster, turn into a shark, and most likely kill people. He spends the first portion of this book with that mindset about his ability.

Eventually, he meets others who invite him to challenge that perception and think of his heritage as a gift rather than a curse. I love the way that this unfolds and the emergence of the character who turns out to be his mentor. I also love that Nohea meets others who aren’t afraid or judgmental about who he is.

Another great element of the book is the surfing. I’m not a surfer, so I can’t weigh in on any of the technical descriptions (though it sounds like the author researched this well). The surfing descriptions were dynamic and easy to follow. I loved the scenes showing both Nohea surfing to relax and his competition experiences. It was nice to see a fantasy novel feature sports, too.

This novel bridges contemporary and fantasy fiction, but it also bridges middle grade and young adult age groups. Nohea is thirteen in the story, and the content of the book is appropriate for middle grade readers. The themes and tension and the length of the book will make it appealing to readers at the older end of the age group and even some readers who’ve aged into young adult reading.

All in all, this book has a lot of great elements to offer readers, from its fantasy components inspired by Hawaiian mythology to its surfing scenes.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Nohea is a descendant of the Shark King, a god. He has been told that if he eats meat or becomes too angry about something, he will “shark out”… turn into a shark and eat whoever is in his way.

Violent Content
References to someone turning into a shark and killing someone. (Not shown on scene.)

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

Review: Witchwood by Kalyn Josephson

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Witchwood (Ravenfall #3)
Kalyn Josephson
Delacorte Press
Published October 1, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Witchwood

The third book in the “spellbinding” (Kirkus Reviews) Ravenfall series follows Anna and Colin, two kids with supernatural powers, into the magical town of Witchwood, where local witches have gone missing—and Anna might be next.

Everything is changing at Ravenfall, the magical inn that best friends Anna Ballinkay and Colin Pierce call home. The leaves are turning golden, the air is as crisp as a harvest apple, and Anna’s older twin sisters are leaving for college… but at least Anna and Colin have finally reunited after a summer apart, just in time for a new magical mission.

When their mission is interrupted by a mysterious attack that forces them to seek shelter, Anna and Colin head to Witchwood, a spooky lakeside town where magic doesn’t have to be hidden. Anna is excited to reunite with her aunt and cousin, who she hopes might teach her more about Jewish magic—except her cousin seems to hate her. Especially once Anna realizes that she’s a witch, just like them.But rude cousins are the least of their problems, because they soon discover that witches are going missing in Witchwood. And if Anna and Colin can’t stop whatever sinister force is making them disappear, Anna could be the next target…

My Review

I’ve had a great time reading this series. Witchwood is the third book in the Ravenfall series, and the first one in which most of the story takes place away from Anna’s sentient house/inn. This time, she and Colin end up visiting Anna’s aunt and cousin who live in an entirely magical town called Witchwood.

Anna has a lot to learn about the traditions and magic from her dad’s side of the family. Learning these things helps her make sense of her identity in a new way, but it doesn’t always come easily. Her relationship with her cousin is especially challenging, and it takes Anna a long time to understand the reasons why.

The story alternates between Anna and Colin’s perspectives, so we also learn more about Colin’s fear of being on his own and his uncertainty about his abilities, especially the life magic that sets him apart from other members of the Ravenguard.

The story emphasizes having confidence in one’s abilities and balancing that with building and depending on a supportive community. I loved the way the story balanced those two elements and the humorous moments between Max (the cat who is not a cat), Anna, and Colin kept things light.

I’m really excited to read the fourth book in the series, Ravenguard, which comes out this September.

Readers who enjoy contemporary fantasy that’s heavy on the fantasy elements will find lots to love here. Bonus if you love books with cats in them.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
It’s clear that two characters have a crush on one another.

Spiritual Content
Anna learns more about her Jewish heritage, including holiday celebrations and traditions. Some characters have the ability to perform magic. Magical creatures, such as jabberwockies and kelpies exist in the story.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle scenes. Kidnapping of a parent.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson

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Those Pink Mountain Nights
Jen Ferguson
Heartdrum
Published September 12, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Those Pink Mountain Nights

In her remarkable second novel following her acclaimed debut, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, which won the Governor General’s Award and received six starred reviews, Jen Ferguson writes about the hurt of a life stuck in past tense, the hum of connections that cannot be severed, and one week in a small snowy town that changes everything.

Over-achievement isn’t a bad word—for Berlin, it’s the goal. She’s securing excellent grades, planning her future, and working a part-time job at Pink Mountain Pizza, a legendary local business. Who says she needs a best friend by her side?

Dropping out of high school wasn’t smart—but it was necessary for Cameron. Since his cousin Kiki’s disappearance, it’s hard enough to find the funny side of life, especially when the whole town has forgotten Kiki. To them, she’s just another missing Native girl.

People at school label Jessie a tease, a rich girl—and honestly, she’s both. But Jessie knows she contains multitudes. Maybe her new job crafting pizzas will give her the high-energy outlet she desperately wants.

When the weekend at Pink Mountain Pizza takes unexpected turns, all three teens will have to acknowledge the various ways they’ve been hurt—and how much they need each other to hold it all together.

My Review

The story alternates between the perspectives of Berlin, Cameron, Jessie, and Kiki and centers around their connection to a local pizza parlor that they learn the owner plans to sell. Kiki’s chapters are in verse and start in the past leading toward the time when she disappeared. All four voices are distinct in the way they perceive the world and respond. Berlin’s grief over her recently lost friendship and the pervasive numbness she feels colors all of her experiences. She tries to keep up with school and work as if everything is normal, but it has become an immense struggle.

Cameron has big feelings about his family, especially his missing cousin, but also his younger sisters, whom he feels he must protect, and his father, who treads the water of his own grief. Cam hasn’t felt seen or understood by Berlin, but as they begin to get to know one another again, they form a surprising bond that helps them both in unexpected ways.

Jessie has a spectacular voice, too. She uses words in interesting ways and brings a lot of humor to the page, which might seem odd, since she carries her own grief and sadness, too.

This is a messy story with messy characters being real about how hard life can be sometimes, even for people who, on the outside, seem to have everything going for them. It’s also a story about internalized prejudices and how invisible they can be without deliberate action to root them out.

Ferguson is a hard-hitting author who trusts readers to be able to face hard truths and delivers compelling characters.I seem to be reading her books backward, since I started with her most recent release, A Constellation of Minor Bears, and then read this one. Up next: The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, which I’ve heard great things about.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Cameron and Berlin are Native. Kiki is biracial, Black and Native. Jessie is a cancer survivor and is LGBTQIA+. Cameron has a learning disability.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A handful of F-bombs and other swear words.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. Kissing between boy and girl. An implied sexual relationship between an adult and a teenage girl. A girl makes reference to an adult who routinely comes on to teenage girls. References to the fact that a girl enjoys making out with people.

Spiritual Content
References to Métis and Cree beliefs and rituals. Berlin and Cameron find a severely injured wapati (elk) and help end her pain. Both feel the presence of the wapati’s spirit in their lives in different ways after that and follow its leading.

Violent Content
References to a sexual relationship between and adult and a teenager. Nothing happens on scene. Cameron ends the pain of a severely injured wapati. Some characters make ani-Indigenous comments or statements. Major characters push back on those. Characters encounter anti-Black statements in a social media campaign. The story explores the impact of anti-Black feeling and actions toward a Black man and young Black and Indigenous woman. The novel also discusses the disparity in police response to missing Native women compared to other missing persons cases.

Drug Content
References to a teenager smoking.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Jaden Powers and the Inheritance Magic by Jamar J. Perry

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , ,

Jaden Powers and the Inheritance Magic
Jamar J. Perry
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published August 27, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Jaden Powers and the Inheritance Magic

In this magical middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Marvellers and Amari and the Night Brothers, a shy boy must step up and become his own hero after his best friend disappears at a magical school. 

Jaden and Elijah have been best friends since they were born. They’re so close that Jaden doesn’t even mind that he’s constantly living in talented, high-achieving Elijah’s shadow-well, he doesn’t mind much.

But then Elijah disappears, leaving behind nothing but a cryptic note asking for Jaden’s help. The next day, Jaden is invited to attend Elijah’s fancy private boarding school. Only, it turns out it’s not a boarding school at all. It’s a school for magic! Somehow, before Elijah vanished, he used his note to transfer part of his own magic into Jaden, a feat that is supposed to be impossible.

Determined to find his friend, Jaden agrees to attend the school and learn to control his new powers. But a sinister force is threatening to destroy the whole magical world. And if Jaden doesn’t stop it, he’ll be the next to disappear.

My Review

The pacing of this story went differently than I expected. In some ways, that is a strength for the book because it’s a strong difference from books like Amari and the Night Brothers and other magic school stories. There were a couple of moments where the story started to feel too similar to another boy-with-magic story, so I appreciated the ways in which it diverged from other books.

I loved the friendship between Jaden and Elijah, which is at the center of the novel. Perry celebrates that deep friendship bond and brotherhood between the two boys without any qualifiers, and I found that refreshing and, frankly, beautiful.

The cast is heavily male. I would have enjoyed seeing a little more diversity here, though there’s some value in a story that leans heavily into exploring different kinds of relationships between boys or men. I think having at least one of the critical characters be female would have added a little more balance, though.

On the whole, I am glad to see this book added to the collection of magic school middle grade literature. Jaden Powers and the Inheritance Magic is a fun story that celebrates the power of friendship and trusting your heart.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Jaden and several other key characters are Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. Some magic can be harmful and threaten the stability of the world.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Jaden hears his best friend has drowned and must attend his funeral. Someone asks permission to view Jaden’s thoughts. The spell is painful to him, but he is willing to endure it if it will help him find his best friend.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston

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Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations #1)
B. B. Alston
Balzer + Bray
Published January 19, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Amari and the Night Brothers

Quinton Peters was the golden boy of the Rosewood low-income housing projects, receiving full scholarship offers to two different Ivy League schools. When he mysteriously goes missing, his little sister, 13-year-old Amari Peters, can’t understand why it’s not a bigger deal. Why isn’t his story all over the news? And why do the police automatically assume he was into something illegal?

Then Amari discovers a ticking briefcase in her brother’s old closet. A briefcase meant for her eyes only. There was far more to Quinton, it seems, than she ever knew. He’s left her a nomination for a summer tryout at the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Amari is certain the answer to finding out what happened to him lies somewhere inside, if only she can get her head around the idea of mermaids, dwarves, yetis and magicians all being real things, something she has to instantly confront when she is given a weredragon as a roommate.

If that all wasn’t enough, every Bureau trainee has a talent enhanced to supernatural levels to help them do their jobs – but Amari is given an illegal ability. As if she needed something else to make her stand out.

With an evil magician threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.

My Review

I remember hearing about this book before it came out, and my calendar was too full to fit in a release date review– which I have since regretted! Finally, I was able to read it, though.

From the very beginning, this book hooked me right in. I felt Amari’s pain at her brother’s disappearance. And her wonder at discovering the supernatural world. I loved the exploration of human rights and equality through the way that people saw her as a magician. As soon as people learned she was a magician, they made assumptions about her values and character. Being a magician wasn’t something she could control, but it also did not dictate her beliefs or her behavior.

There were a few moments in this book that reminded me so much of the movie MEN IN BLACK. When Amari did her training session where she had to identify which monsters/situations were a threat, that reminded me so much of Will Smith’s character’s similar experience in the movie, and I definitely grinned at that.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters, especially Amari’s roommate Elsie and Agents Fiona and Magnus. All in all, this was a really fun book to read, and a great start to the series.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Amari is Black and a born magician. In the supernatural world, being a magician, meaning someone has a high percentage of magic in their blood, is illegal.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
An Irish character says a British swear word a couple times.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Amari has the ability to create illusions. A friend has the ability to manipulate technology with magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle scenes. Some descriptions of injuries from monsters called hybrids, which are part animal and part human.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He

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The Ones We’re Meant to Find
Joan He
Roaring Book
Published May 4, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Ones We’re Meant to Find

Cee has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years without any recollection of how she arrived, or memories from her life prior. All she knows is that somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, she has a sister named Kay. Determined to find her, Cee devotes her days to building a boat from junk parts scavenged inland, doing everything in her power to survive until the day she gets off the island and reunites with her sister.

In a world apart, 16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara is also living a life of isolation. The eco-city she calls home is one of eight levitating around the world, built for people who protected the planet―and now need protecting from it. With natural disasters on the rise due to climate change, eco-cities provide clean air, water, and shelter. Their residents, in exchange, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, conducting business virtually whenever possible to reduce their environmental footprint. While Kasey, an introvert and loner, doesn’t mind the lifestyle, her sister Celia hated it. Popular and lovable, Celia much preferred the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea, never to return.

Now it’s been three months since Celia’s disappearance, and Kasey has given up hope. Logic says that her sister must be dead. But as the public decries her stance, she starts to second guess herself and decides to retrace Celia’s last steps. Where they’ll lead her, she does not know. Her sister was full of secrets. But Kasey has a secret of her own.

My Review

Sisters and secrets– two of my favorite things in a book! I had been hearing about this book online for a long time, and could not resist reading it. The story, like the back cover copy suggests, gives each sister’s point of view. In Kasey’s point of view, we see the past, things that happened months before Cee begins telling her story.

I loved both girls’ characters so much. I also loved U-me, the dictionary and questionnaire rating robot. It might not seem like a bot that follows Cee around defining words and rating her declarative statements on a scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree would add a huge amount to the story, but it really does! U-me is the best.

As the description promises, this is a story with twists and turns, the kind where you have to keep going back and reevaluating things you took for granted earlier in the book. Where new information changes your perception of what’s already happened. I love stories like that. It’s also a story that explores relationships and secrets and how some secrets can destroy a relationship if you let them.

I really enjoyed THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND. I loves its layers and the pull between the two sisters. Readers who enjoyed WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart or FRAGILE REMEDY by Maria Ingrande Mora should check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Both main characters are Asian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some nudity. Kissing between boy and girl. Two scenes give brief descriptions of sex.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A boy stops a thief by attacking him. A girl gets injured in the episode. A boy tries to choke someone. References to a terrorist attack.

Drug Content
Some descriptions of drinking and using drugs (though they appear to be legal drugs) at a bar and party.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND in exchange for my honest review.