Lower the Trap

Gr 4–6—This is a less-than-auspicious start to a trilogy. Graeme Swinimer, a budding marine biologist, wants desperately to visit a famous aquarium but finds himself conflicted about what it will take to get there. Essentially, he'd have to sell a giant lobster, caught by his dad, to be able to afford the trip. In the end, Graeme puts the life of the storied crustacean before his own interests, and while there is a noble nugget to be extracted from that, readers have to dig through some mucky writing to get to it. Kerrin fails to make any of the characters likable or interesting. A clumsy subplot about an annoying classmate distracts from the main story, and the author's descriptive efforts are frequently overwrought: "his heart pounded in his chest like the diesel engine on Homarus II fighting gale-force winds." The author may have been trying to build suspense as bidders battle over the lobster in an auction, but readers can only take a few repetitions of "Hey, bada-bada-bada" from the auctioneer before it gets really irritating. It is used 20 times. A minimally additional purchase, and only where lobster fishing and the culture surrounding it are familiar.—Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR