
Shark Teeth
Bloomsbury · Hardcover · January 16, 2024
From National Book Award longlisted author Sherri Winston comes an important middle grade novel about a girl's tumultuous journey to keep her family together, even when she's falling apart.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A guarded girl’s effort to keep her family together gives this story its taut emotional pull.
- Themes
- Family separation, Parental recovery, Fear and pressure
- Genres
- Abuse & Healing, Orphans & Foster Kids, Depression & Mental Health
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
Kyra, Just for TodaySara Zarr58% matchShares Depression & Mental Health
CapriceCoe Booth56% matchShares Abuse & Healing
Remember USJacqueline Woodson58% match
El NiñoPam Muñoz Ryan55% match
Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be BetterMylisa Larsen57% matchShares Depression & Mental Health
May the Best Player WinKyla Zhao53% match
The Poetry of Car MechanicsHeidi E. Y. Stemple57% matchShares Depression & Mental Health
The Squad: a Graphic Novel (the Tryout #2)Christina Soontornvat53% match
For older readers: The Blood Years, Split the Sky (coretta Scott King Author Honor Title), Sync
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
From National Book Award longlisted author Sherri Winston comes an important middle grade novel about a girl's tumultuous journey to keep her family together, even when she's falling apart. Schneider Family Book Award: Best Middle Grade Honor Book Kirkus Prize Finalist Lone Star Reading List Selection Named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal Sharkita “Kita” Hayes is always waiting. Waiting for her mama to mess up.
Continue reading
Waiting for social services to be called again. Waiting for her and her siblings to be separated. Waiting for her worst fear to come true. But Mama promises things are different now. She's got a good job, she's stopped drinking, stopped going out every night-it's almost enough to make Kita believe her this time. But even as Kita's life is going good, she can't shake the feeling that everything could go up in flames at any moment. When her assistant principal and trusted dance coach starts asking questions about her home life, Kita is more determined than ever to keep up appearances and make sure her family stays together-even if it means falling apart herself. As the threat of her family being separated again circles like a shark in the water, the pressure starts to get to Kita. But could it be that Kita's worst fear is actually the best thing that could happen to her family . . . and to her?
Under Pressure
A guarded girl’s effort to keep her family together gives this story its taut emotional pull.
Come here for
- A child’s wary perspective on family instability
- The strain of keeping up appearances
Expect
- Emotional tension shaped by fear and hope
- A middle grade story centered on family and growing up
Where it sits
| Orphans & Foster Kids | 73% |
|---|---|
| Depression & Mental Health | 67% |
| Abuse & Healing | 61% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- US: African American Stories
- Orphans & Foster Kids
- Depression & Mental Health
- Authors
- Sherri Winston
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury
- Published
- January 16, 2024
- Format
- Hardcover
- Theme
- Family separation · Parental recovery · Fear and pressure
- Reading lane
- US: African American Stories