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    Barracuda
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    Barracuda
    Unavailable
    Barracuda
    Ebook125 pages52 minutes

    Barracuda

    By Sigmund Brouwer

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Fishing for barracuda from a kayak in the Florida Keys. That's what Jim Webb thinks this resort vacation with his grandfather should be about. Except the dying resort owner holds the key to legend about a generations-old crime. A crime that is worth way too much to those who want the legend to be true. Webb soon discovers that what lurks in the sun, sand and shallow waters of the Keys is much more dangerous than a slashing game fish. And along the way, he learns an important truth about himself and his own past.

    In this exciting prequel to Devil’s Pass and Tin Soldier, the musically gifted and tenacious Webb finds himself caught in a dangerous mystery.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrca Book Publishers
    Release dateSep 20, 2016
    ISBN9781459811546
    Unavailable
    Barracuda
    Author

    Sigmund Brouwer

    Sigmund Brouwer is the award-winning author of over 100 books for young readers, with close to 4 million books in print. He has won the Christy Book of the Year and an Arthur Ellis Award, as well as being nominated for two TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards and the Red Maple Award. For years, Sigmund has captivated students with his Rock & Roll Literacy Show and Story Ninja program during his school visits, reaching up to 80,000 students per year. His many books in the Orca Sports and Orca Currents lines have changed the lives of countless striving readers. Sigmund lives in Red Deer, Alberta.

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    Reviews for Barracuda

    4/5

    11 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5
      So when I requested this book on Library Thing, I did not realize it was for ages 9-12, but by the second page this became clear. That being said this was a fun book, reminding me of summer days as a kid plowing through the Hardy Boys series. The story is well told, without any glaring spelling or punctuation errors so rare in books today.Jim Web, is celebrating his 13th birthday with his grandfather and they are doing it in the Florida Keys because his grandfather is visiting a dying friend who owns a resort there. The dying man has a secret he needs to get off his conscience, and tied to it is a possible hidden treasure. There are others who know about the dying mans past and are causing him all kinds of trouble. Jim and his grandfather need to solve the mystery of who else knows and find the treasure.In the end, the story seemed more Scooby Do and less Hardy Boys. When the bad guy was caught I was waiting for him to say he would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for "those meddling kids" but all in all it is a fun mystery for kids.
    • 4/5
      This is a perfect book for the age group of 9-12 year olds. Boys love adventure books and this is certainly packed with excitement. Well written and comparable to other authors who write for this age group like Anthony Horowitz. I hope they will buy and read this...if you can get them away from all the Minecraft fiction!
    • 5/5
      Well-written coming-of-age story, a very good rendering of a thirteen year old boy, Jim Webb. He goes by the name of Webb and he is not happy to be spending his summer with his grandfather in the Florida Keys, more precisely Little Torch Key, especially since some of that time is to be spent visiting a dying friend of his grandfather. Webb is completely disgruntled...until he meets a young girl, one who is not only interesting but in a band. Webb was given his Dad's guitar when he died, his only comfort until now, and she invites him into the band. There is a lot going on in this book, some sweet, some sour, but there are lessons to be learned here, if he will take the time to learn them and understand. I would say Sigmund Brouwer has a great appreciation for life at Webb's age, as well as his family circumstances. This book really held my attention, it was sad, humorous, unusual, and adventurous. I really enjoyed it for all its oddities of life.
    • 2/5
      I received this as an ARC through librarything from the publisher, Orca Book Publishers, in exchange for an honest review.

      At first, I was really bummed, after receiving this book. The ARC giveaways aren't labeled the best, so I didn't know it was for young kids (suggested age 9 ). The brief description made me think otherwise. That aside, it was a good story, but a little far-fetched for my taste (even as a kid).

      This felt a little like an adult book that had been shortened and dumbed down for kids. Some of the conversations that Webb and his grandfather had, though apropos for someone in their early to mid teens would, I think, go over the heads of your average 9 year old. They don't know who Carl Jung is, nor do I see them caring about or knowing the difference between introverts and extroverts. Grant it, Brouwer does a great job in explaining in in terms they'd understand. I highly doubt that most 9 year old boys would really care about crushing on a girl for the first time and how complicated that feels, but that's just me. I specify that audience, because that IS who it feels like this book was written for. The story is, otherwise, written too simply for early teen readers.

      Now, some of the other topics, like bottling up feelings and not having a good relationship with step parents are great. It'd show kids who are in similar situations that they're not alone and there are people out there just like them, even if (to them) they're only characters in a story.

      One thing that I was really impressed with was the imagery that Brouwer forced on his readers of the Barracuda, which was a theme through out the story, whether the reader realized it initially or not, despite the title. I think the best part was his description of the fish at the end to really tie everything together. In my opinion, this is a great book for a teacher to use to introduce kids to the idea of imagery and metaphors in writing, especially since it spells out EXACTLY the reasoning behind everything.
    • 4/5
      Imagine my surprise when I realized I’d agreed to review a book written for middle-schoolers! I had read another book by Sigmund Brouwer years ago and remembered enjoying it very much, so I requested this one. So, I committed myself to doing the book justice by reading it and reviewing it. Imagine my bigger surprise to find that I truly enjoyed it! Along the way, I discovered that BARRACUDA is a prequel to a book that Brouwer wrote as part of a seven-book series, called “The Seven Series”. It is subtitled, “7 Grandsons, 7 Journeys, 7 Authors, 1 Amazing Series”. There is also, “The Seven Sequels”. What a wonderful idea! At any rate, BARRACUDA stands alone and tells the tale of Jim Webb, “Webb,” who goes to the Florida Keys to spend his holiday with his grandfather, David. Webb feels manipulated when he learns that his grandfather expects him to accompany him to visit a dying friend, Jonathan. As any savvy 13-year-old in Webb’s situation would figure out, David is hoping that by sitting by his dying friend, Webb will open up about his own father’s death, years past, and something he has never talked about. Of course, Webb has no intention of cooperating with his grandfather’s plan. What happens is that Webb and his grandfather get swept up in a mystery when Jonathan reveals that people close to him are after his wealth, in the form of diamonds, and asks Webb and David to help him by bringing him his stash of diamonds. The plan is that once they have retrieved the first batch from its hiding place, Jonathan will reveal the next hiding place. Unfortunately, not only is the first box empty, but Jonathan dies before he is able to tell them where the rest are to be found. Webb finds that he is being wooed by a pretty 15-year-old in the neighborhood, but there is something fishy about her persistence and about her creepy, smoking boyfriend. And then there’s the fishing charter boat that he and his grandfather were supposed to be on that capsizes out in the Gulf Stream. Along the way, we get a great story with significant things to say about death and dying, that death is not something to be feared, even by a youngster. Webb expects to find Jonathan something repulsive but learns that he is wrong and finds a way to face the death of his own father and be healed. He is changed by his experience with his grandfather and is reconciled with his father and himself. Plus, he gets to hunt for diamonds, and who doesn’t love that?
    • 5/5
      This was a great "coming of age" book. The main character is a 13 year old boy dealing with anger over the death of his father and a new step-father. He spends time with a loving grandfather who is gentle and easy to talk to. Also part of the story is adventure, murder, and the search for a bag of stolen diamonds.