Mark Svendsen

After a slow start, this book takes off at a gut wrenching pace. It is Christos' birthday and to "prove himself a man" to both his father and himself, he takes to the ocean in a small dory, determined to catch an huge haul of fish. His mother is worried he won't survive at all and gives him her St. Christopher medal. Christos himself is plagued by thoughts of a girl he loves and is too shy to approach but he fares well at the start, catching some large fish of which he knows his father will approve. After mooring at an island and making camp, he sets out to catch his dinner but suddenly becomes embattled with a tiger shark as the tide runs out and his tiny boat "lil bit" is stuck on a coral output. Although the shark senario seems familar ( duh Jaws!) I thought the fact it was set in pitch darkness sincerely added to the tension. My only complaint with this novel would be Christos' constant self-doubt and the dubious setting (it IS Australia) but I kept imagining the Greek isles in my head.
One for boys who like action, danger and suspense!… (mehr)

This gutsy novel will appeal to young adult readers for the immediacy of the voice and the subjects with which the book deals. It is a refreshingly new concept in story-telling and writing and yet with all its different ingredients the story works well.

The language is varied and diverse -moving between poetic, lyrical and the vernacular, yet the style and voices are all authentic. The characters in the novel face the issues important to all young people - friendship, relationships, family, and, most vital of all concerns - growing up to have an identity that makes you an individual.

And, although "Snigger James on Grey" is not a love story as such, it is a story about the importance of love.… (mehr)