Reviews

Manatee Summer, by Evan Griffith

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chitownjr's review

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A random read I picked when I ran out of titles. (I was shocked when I came here and saw how it was rated!)

My first thought was that this was going to be bad-maybe even unfinished; it's an 11 year old boy narrating the story...However, I quickly grew to like the style. The author wrote the perspective believably AND it didn't end up being too immature. A book for older folks and younger folks to enjoy (especially younger ones!) A coming-of-age story with emotional growth and facing hard things and being brave, all while still getting to be a kid. Clean content.

SPOILERS:
I greatly appreciate that the author wasn't setting us up for heartbreak with Papa. It's coming, eventually, but that wasn't the focus. Instead, Peter got to learn so much and grow in other ways! I love that the ending wasn't formulaic, nor an ending.

libraryrobin's review

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3.0

An emotional boy deals with caring for his elderly grandfather with Alzheimers, transitioning to middle school, his best friend moving away, a bullying neighbor, and an injured manatee.

emileereadsbooks's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Kids for the gifted book I read along with the library audio!

Peter has a goal with his best friend Tommy, they are going to complete their Discovery Journal before middle school begins. Their Discovery Journal is their catalog of wildlife in their Florida town, and they want to finish at number 100. When they spot an injured manatee in their canal, they now have a mission to protect it. Peter takes on the fight to protect Florida manatees while also shouldering the responsibility of taking care of his grandfather who has dementia. Then there is an unwelcome surprise that disrupts his formerly strong friendship with Tommy. Now this summer is nothing like he imagined and he feels quite out of control.

I liked how this book dealt with the realities of divorced parents, ailing grandparents, and the natural seasons of friendship. Peter learns how to go from an animal lover to an animal activist through his dedication to the manatee, but that also influences him being more of an activist in his own life and facing the complicated feelings he has about his family situation. I loved the multiple layers of friendship depicted throughout this story, and how this story also explores the theme of everyone having a backstory.

Content Warning: The grandfather in this book has dementia and that is a big part of the story.

anniereads221's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

librarianaaryn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

aeder's review against another edition

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informative inspiring medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

pawprintsinthesink's review

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medium-paced

5.0

Evan Griffith’s Manatee Summer is sure to cement itself as a beloved childhood favorite in the hearts of young readers. It’ll be a book they look back on fondly, the one that kindled their love of manatees, that captured the essence of the first taste of real responsibility while shining a light on that tender space between elementary school and middle school.

Peter and Tommy have been best friends for three years, which is a long time when you’ve only just finished fifth grade. They’ve never gone to the same school and they’re as different as can be, but they fit together perfectly. They bonded over their love of animals, and have been steadily working on filling their Discovery journal with sketches and facts about all the animals they’ve discovered in the wild together. Their goal is to finish the journal with their 100th discovery this summer, their final summer before middle school. But Peter is also on Official Caretaker duty this summer, caring for his grandfather as Alzheimer’s slowly takes hold. But Peter doesn’t want Tommy to know this. And Tommy is acting a little funny, too. But their 95th discovery, a manatee in the canal in their neighborhood, leads them down a new path– especially when the manatee gets injured.

The setting is especially important here, as Peter and Tommy have been able to discover scores of interesting creatures for their Discovery journal. As Peter strives to help the injured manatee, his world grows and expands. Florida is the perfect backdrop of this story, full of the summery magic that exists most places with the added component of more intriguing and even dangerous creatures (including Mr. Reilly, who is less intriguing and more super grumpy).

Part of what makes Manatee Summer so engaging is the intricately developed characters, from the watch-shop-owner-turned-inventor grandfather to the kids’ parents to the grumpy arch-nemesis neighbor. Every character is thoroughly developed, jumping off the page and making the story really matter to the reader’s heart.

Griffith does a fantastic job of not only have realistic characters, but allowing other characters to see and be seen as their full selves. Whether it’s being vulnerable enough to share your full self or being wise enough to see through the behavior to the root cause, there are layers of nuance and discernment that develop throughout the novel. Learning to see someone fully, especially someone who has behaved hurtfully towards you, is huge growth for anyone regardless of age.

Another reason I love this book is that it has something we don’t often see a lot of– a friendship story centering on two boys. Peter, with his brash actions and adventuresome nature, is as different as can be from shy, introverted, cautious Tommy. But their friendship is balanced– they challenge each other and comfort each other equally. Their emotional intelligences differ as well, but each try to meet the other where they are. We especially see Peter’s journey to managing strong emotions, and how his handling of his emotional reactions affects how others perceive him. His recognition of this limiting his ability to help the manatee was done neatly, fitting into the narrative without detracting from the story. These coping skills are passed along organically, leaving the reader with the same tools Peter uses without it ever feeling preachy or instructional.

Peter also learns how to be a good advocate. Like many of us, and many young readers, he cares so much about the world. It is so broken in so many ways, and he realizes he has to choose what to focus on. This is another instance of Peter’s journey modeling how to make a difference in the real daily lives of readers of all ages. Learning how to appropriately advocate for what we’re passionate about is such an important tool, and I’m grateful to see it represented in this novel.

There are big themes dealt with in this full-hearted novel, from dealing with change to the hurt that comes from grandparents aging to kids juggling too much with adults not seeing all of it. These topics are seamlessly woven into an engaging plot, making the book all the more relatable and squeezing hearts along the way.

As a lifelong fan of manatees, I’m glad to see them center stage here. I’m sure this novel will create a new generation of kids obsessed with these gentle giants… let’s just hope their mom doesn’t make them wear a trash bag as their costume for their manatee presentation in third grade. What, that was just me!?

Manatee Summer is available for pre-order and will be out on June 28. Thank you to Evan Griffith, HarperCollins Children’s Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy such that I could share my honest opinions.