Review / High and Dry

Book: High and Dry (2020)
Author: Eric Walters
Genre: Lower MG, Contemporary

Basic plot: Dylan lives with his parents on a remote island. When his parents leave to go the mainland for business, Dylan’s grandfather comes to stay with him. They can’t wait to spend time together. But, after a big storm, they realize that something is off with the pod of orcas that populate the water around the island. The baby orca, Oreo, isn’t with them…

WHAT’S COOL…

1) I really enjoyed the relationship between Dylan and his grandfather. The grandpa seems like a fun grandpa with all his gadgets. But when it comes to the whales, he’s right on the same page with Dylan for helping little Oreo.

2) We’re told that the grandpa recently had hip surgery. This was good because it gave agency to Dylan. He was the one who had to do everything while Grandpa watched. (And yet, the Grandpa was there to give encouragement and advice.)

3) This is definitely a book geared toward the younger reader. It’s a quick read… only 85 pages! The illustrations by Sabrina Gendron are a nice touch, especially for the reluctant reader.

4) I did learn a few things about orcas, which is cool!

5) Oreo. What a cute name for a whale! (And what’s kind of cool is that the publisher is called Orca Books!)

FINAL THOUGHTS

I enjoyed this quick little read about a boy and a beached whale. Definitely would recommend this to the young whale lover.

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YOUR TURN…

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…