This is a great short graphic novel for 7- to 9-year-old readers. The art is great, the story intriguing and funny, and even though the ending left me feeling like, "That's it? It's over already?" it's really the perfect length for a kid with a short attention span. ( )

This graphic novel about Hawaiian culture and folklore is an incredible book that is a must have in your intermediate elementary school classroom. This book creatively brings up the culture that has been created in Hawaii. This book shows a kid growing up when his mom was giving brith to him with a shark biting her back. There is something special about this kid but people didn't accept who he was. ( )

This incredible story surrounding Hawaiian folklore about the Shark King is both beautifully illustrated and told in this children's graphic novel. This is a story that is told about a Shark King falling in love with a human woman and their son. The story talks about the societal struggles with their son being half-human and half-shark. The story, although a bittersweet ending, is one that all students are capable of reading and understanding. The story speaks of Hawaiian culture vaguely, so I would not recommend using this purely to talk about the culture as a whole--this is just a folktale. Putting that aside, however, this is still a good read for all students and something that would make a fine addition in the classroom whether it is for a read-aloud or for them to read individually in their own time.

This would be an interesting book for intermediate students. It tells the Hawaian folktale story about a woman who fell in love with a man that could transform into a shark. The man said goodbye to the woman and returned to the sea, and the woman had a baby that was born with the mouth of a shark embedded in his back. The book follows the boy as he grows up with this unique part of himself, and he is eventually forced to join his father in the sea, when his people wouldn’t accept him for who he is. The book was helpful in the way it illustrated the story and in how the narration helped the story flow. I would use this book by having in my classroom library to show an appreciation for the stories within different cultures.

This story was quite interesting as it is depicted through graphics and illustrations. It follows this story of a young boy and his family, his dad is called the shark kind and after his adventures, he too realizes he was born into that title and is now the shark kind. This book was okay, I could see it in the classroom as an easy read and to get kids engaged in the story but it was not a powerful book to me. ( )