Linda K. Sienkiewicz

A day at the beach turns into a lesson about ghost crabs, over-coming fear, and respect for animals...and all of that wrapped into a fun tale.

Gordy was excited about spending a day at the ocean, but when he sees how loud and strong the waves are, he becomes afraid of them. Deciding to keep distance to the water, he's again scared when he runs across a strange creature, which appears to want to snip off his toes. He's told it's a ghost crab. Hoping for some safe fun, Gordy builds a sand castle, but things take a turn when the ghost crab comes by again.

While this story does main theme describe a boy's run-in with a ghost crab, it's a tale about much more than just that. Gordy is presented as a 'safe' child, who is unsure and happiest when he stays in his own comfort zone. That the ghost crab invades this space, forcing Gordy to deal with his fears....although Gordy doesn't know how...is a situation young listeners can identify with (maybe not with ghost crabs, but with their own insecurities when facing something new.) The twist comes when another girl sees the crab and wants to catch it. Gordy shows what a warm hearted child he is and although scared, still empathizes with the crab. It's a great way to show kids how to feel for the world around them, even if they aren't in a good spot themselves. Add the message of preserving animals' in nature, and it's a read with tons of important themes.

But this is also about ghost crabs and does a nice job at introducing young listeners to the animals. The story does this in a somewhat indirect manner, but it works. The illustrations do a good job at presenting the animal in a realistic manner. At the end of the book, there's a list of ghost crab facts so readers can learn more about the creature.… (mais)

I love books about family relationships. And even though I don’t like family drama or betrayal in real life, I love it in books.

This book had it all, and Angelica is devastated when the truth comes out. This is an emotionally charged book that keeps you turning the pages even when you know you should close the book and get other stuff done.

The characters and situations are believable and you can’t help but feel for Angelica and want so much for everything to turn out ok. I haven’t been reading many “heavier” novels lately, but I’m glad I decided to give this a try. I don’t know how anyone could read this and not get emotional, but like I said before, you won’t want to stop until the end.

There’s so much more to this book than what I’ve mentioned. It is definitely a winner and I would absolutely recommend it. It’s going on my “Best of 2016” list.… (mais)