Everything you need to understand or teach Shark Bite by Todd Strasser.
At a first glance, Shark Bite seems to be aimed at the interests of younger or preadolescent readers. Both the themes and the plot seem to underpin such a first impression of the novel. Moreover, even the title of the book appears to support the idea that the novel is intended for such a reading group. A more careful exploration of this text, however, reveals its more complex nature. The story outlined before the reader turns out to be constructed on several levels which invite thought-provoking associations or images that go beyond the stereotypical characteristics of a mere adventure story.
On the one hand, the plot is largely built with the well-known ingredients of an adventure story: exotic places, dangerous situations, fast-paced action. When Ian and Talia first agree to join Stuart and his father on a sailboat trip to Cancun they exactly envision these ideas. Embarking from...
