So good! I never knew a book I thought was just about a girl who loved sharks could be this emotional and engaging. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was amazing. I didn't read the summary, so I dove in (pun intended) completely blind. The cover was pretty, and I loved the title. I had no idea what it meant, and if I had I might have been more prepared for the tragedy that occurs in the story.

A line tender is the person who holds a diver's line while they're underwater. Different numbers of pulls on the line are used to communicate between the diver and the surface. As the narrator, Lucy, tells us in the book, one pull means the diver's reached the bottom, six means an emergency, and so on. Early on in the book we discover that Lucy's dad is a rescue diver.

I hope this book serves as a line to many kids who have experienced the loss of a loved one, and maybe even to some adults. ( )

This was a quiet book about loss, grief, and growing up. Grief is difficult to understand and process, but Allen portrayed the grief and confuson that Lucy felt so realistically, it was hard not to feel it also. I loved the setting. The book took place in Rockport, Massachusetts near the cape and there were some moments when I truly felt like I could feel the spray of the ocean and smell the salt of the sea. I also liked the marine biologist aspect. Lucy's mother, who passed away when she was eight, was a marine biologist and it was interesting to read about her research into sharks and what a marine biologist actually does. I loved all of the characters: Lucy, Fred, Lucy's dad, Sookie, Mr. Patterson, and Vern Devine, Lucy's mother's research mentor. Vern had dementia and I really appreciated how Allen wrote his character. My grandmother also has dememtia so I could relate to how quickly conversations and names are forgotten. My only critique of the book is that it felt a little long. Towards the end, I was starting to get antsy and just wanted to finish it.

I do recommend this book. It's a great book for those who are interested in realistic fiction that touches on grief but also on finding meaning after difficult times. I don't typically read books that I feel like might make me sad but I'm glad I read this one. ( )

Lucy and her childhood friend/next door neighbor Fred are exploring their ocean-side Massachusetts town over the summer for local marine wildlife to put in their extracurricular field guide- their rule is they can only include a creature if they see it. Fred is the scientist, and Lucy is a talented illustrator. Her mother was a prominent marine biologist and Great White shark expert who died of a brain aneurysm 5 years ago.

This book is a very real portrayal of grief, both fresh and old, and how it doesn’t always matter how long it’s been since a loss for it to hurt. The tone is melancholic, but told from Lucy’s point of view it’s also very simplistic and straight forward. She’s learning to carry a heavy weight, and her father and community of neighbors help her carry it. The book also provides a very real insight into the dangers and realities of underage drinking, namely that it will not be strangers trying to pressure you, but instead is a choice Lucy and Fred make because people they love and admire are doing it too, and it seems so fun.

Each chapter begins with a different illustration of a shark, which helps bring the field guide to life. ( )

12-year-old Lucy lost her marine biologist mom when she was 7, and now she's managing fairly well with the help of her rescue diver father, old Mr. Patterson next door, and her neighbor/best friend, Fred. But when she suffers another sudden loss, she needs to come to terms with both sources of grief, and she finds that the best way to do that is to help carry on her mother's research.

This one was...okay. A little slow for me, but I suspect it would be a great resource for kiddos going through a loss of their own, or for ones looking to understand the grief of others. ( )

Lucy lost her mother years ago. She and her father are trying to cope with the changes that meant. Lucy's best friend is Fred. Fred dies tragically. We see how Fred's death effects everyone. Lucy becomes interested in her mother's work on sharks. The book did bring me to tears at one point. ( )