Before We Go Extinct: A Novel - Hardcover

Rivers, Karen

  • 3.64 out of 5 stars
    477 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780374302405: Before We Go Extinct: A Novel
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0374302405 ISBN 13: 9780374302405
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2016

Synopsis

Grief can sometimes feel like being caught in the jaws of a great white shark.

J.C., who goes by the nickname Sharky, has been having a hard time ever since his best friend died in front of him in what might or might not have been an accident. Shell-shocked, Sharky spends countless hours holed up in his room, obsessively watching documentaries about sharks and climate change―and texting his dead friend.

Hoping a change of location will help, Sharky’s mom sends him to visit his dad on a remote island in Canada. There, Sharky meets a girl who just may show him how to live―and love―again.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Karen Rivers is the author of many award-winning books for children and teens, including The Girl in the Well Is Me. She lives in Victoria, BC, with her children.

Reviews

Gr 7 Up—JC (aka Sharky) stopped speaking after he witnessed the death of his best friend, The King, in what may have been a suicide or an accidental fall off the 42nd story of his father's unfinished Manhattan high-rise. Sent to live with his distant hippie father on a mostly deserted Vancouver island for the summer, JC continues to withdraw, texting his dead best friend and attempting to ignore the entreaties of their other best friend, Daff; Daff's and The King's mutual growing attraction may have been an impetus for The King's death. JC turns to diving, exploring the underwater world among the islands, prompting him to want to talk again. Ruminating on his grief and reliving the events leading up to The King's death, the protagonist begins to open himself up to others with the help of the enigmatic Kelby, his father's girlfriend's daughter, and her younger brother Charlie. While the plot feels familiar, the story's strength lies in JC's thoughtful, honest contemplation of his grief. Secondary characters also add emotional depth to his story, if not their own subplots. VERDICT Purchase for collections in need of realistic fiction, especially involving death or suicide.—Hillary St. George, Los Angeles Public Library

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication date
2016
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0374302405
ISBN 13 
9780374302405
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
256
Rating
  • 3.64 out of 5 stars
    477 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781250121813: Before We Go Extinct: A Novel

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1250121817 ISBN 13:  9781250121813
Publisher: Square Fish, 2017
Softcover