The informational novel (written like a fictional), Close To Shore, is a great (true) tale of the month of drama of/following the July 1916 Jersey Shore shark attacks (which later inspired the movie “Jaws”). This story starts with a breezy afternoon on a 1916 New Jersey beach, when people thought of sharks as we today think of dragons: a myth. But when the first man is killed by a shark… the detectives that investigate find that sharks “are harmless” and could not have killed a man, but we now know today that that is completely false. Instead, they think the murderer is along the lines of a killer whale. More people are killed, and as the people of the east coast try to track down and kill whatever is taking lives, they found out something that no one would ever want to believe…
I thought this was a great “just for fun” book, but also for people who maybe have a report or informational paper due on great white sharks. I found it very exciting since the author, Michael Capuzzo, really understands how to grip a reader and feel like they’re in the story. What I liked most about this was that different parts are told from different people. The narrator’s view changed from the perspectives of the victims, witnesses, to even the actual shark! This book helps you see the event from all angles and is overall a great book.
Michael Capuzzo has also written The Murder Room, Mutts: America’s Dogs, Der Hai, and more!
Lauren S.
8th grade science student
