Combining rich historical detail and a harrowing, pulse-pounding narrative, Close to Shore brilliantly re-creates the summer of 1916, when a rogue Great White shark attacked swimmers along the New Jersey shore, triggering mass hysteria and launching the most extensive shark hunt in history. — During the summer before the United Stat... more »es entered World War I, when ocean swimming was just becoming popular and luxurious Jersey Shore resorts were thriving as a chic playland for an opulent yet still innocent era's new leisure class, Americans were abruptly introduced to the terror of sharks. In July 1916 a lone Great White left its usual deep-ocean habitat and headed in the direction of the New Jersey shoreline. There, near the towns of Beach Haven and Spring Lake-and, incredibly, a farming community eleven miles inland-the most ferocious and unpredictable of predators began a deadly rampage: the first shark attacks on swimmers in U.S. history.

For Americans celebrating an astoundingly prosperous epoch much like our own, fueled by the wizardry of revolutionary inventions, the arrival of this violent predator symbolized the limits of mankind's power against nature.

Interweaving a vivid portrait of the era and meticulously drawn characters with chilling accounts of the shark's five attacks and the frenzied hunt that ensued, Michael Capuzzo has created a nonfiction historical thriller with the texture of Ragtime and the tension of Jaws. From the unnerving inevitability of the first attack on the esteemed son of a prosperous Philadelphia physician to the spine-tingling moment when a farm boy swimming in Matawan Creek feels the sandpaper-like skin of the passing shark, Close to Shore is an undeniably gripping saga.

Heightening the drama are stories of the resulting panic in the citizenry, press and politicians, and of colorful personalities such as Herman Oelrichs, a flamboyant millionaire who made a bet that a shark was no match for a man (and set out to prove it); Museum of Natural History ichthyologist John Treadwell Nichols, faced with the challenge of stopping a mythic sea creature about which little was known; and, most memorable, the rogue Great White itself moving through a world that couldn't conceive of either its destructive power or its moral right to destroy.

Scrupulously researched and superbly written, Close to Shore brings to life a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history. Masterfully written and suffused with fascinating period detail and insights into the science and behavior of sharks, Close to Shore recounts a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history with startling immediacy.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

ISBN-13: 9780375822315
ISBN-10: 0375822313
Publication Date: 4/22/2003
Pages: 144
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:

Currently 5/5 Stars.

5 stars, based on 2 ratings

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

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Currently 5/5 Stars.

C.M P. (selkie) reviewed Close to Shore : The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards)) on 1/16/2007 + 156 more book reviews

This children's adaptation of Close to Shoreis little different from the original novel by Capuzio except, of course, there were more pictures through-out the book to make it more appealing to young readers.
A very good book in either form.

Read All Book Reviews of "Close to Shore The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award Awards"

Genres:

Children's Books >> Animals >> Fish >> Nonfiction
Children's Books >> Animals >> Marine Life >> Nonfiction
Children's Books >> History >> General
Children's Books >> History >> United States >> 1900s
Children's Books >> History >> United States >> State & Local
Children's Books >> Ages 9-12 >> General

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