Book: Manatee Summer (2022)
Author: Evan Griffith
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Genre: MG, Contemporary
Opening lines from the book …
Papa’s manatee story goes like this. When he was a kid, way before he met Nana, and way before I even existed, he used to take his dad’s canoe out into the Indigo River, hoping to catch some fish to fry. His family didn’t have much money, so he wanted to help out. And one day, instead of fish, Papa found a manatee.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…
1) The narrator (Peter) is a chatty guy. I loved seeing the world from his point of view. He lives with his mom and grandfather (Papa). And he has a best friend named Tommy.
2) I loved how Peter and Tommy are working on their discovery book. Their goal is to reach 100 animal discoveries (zoos don’t count). They number each one and refer to them that way! Tommy is a nice foil for Peter. But, not all is smooth waters. (Slight spoiler: Tommy is moving away and Peter is not going to take it well to lose his best friend.)
3) Papa is Peter’s grandfather and he has some form of dementia. He loves telling Peter about the time he came across a bunch of manatees in a cove. But since he has dementia, he’s having more and more episodes of forgetting. When Peter’s mom is at work, Peter has to be Papa’s caregiver. And of course, you know there’s going to be some drama that arises with Papa and his memory.
4) The villain of the book is a mean neighbor who’s president of the boating club. Peter and Tommy discover a manatee they name Zoe. And as it turns out, Zoe is being hurt by boats. If you like your antagonists to be mean and unsympathetic, Mr. Reilly’s the antagonist for you!
5) I adored Cassidy, the newest worker at the Manatee Society. She’s a fun and quirky character who drives an equally fun and quirky car. I love the interactions and friendship that develop between her and Peter.
6) The cover art is enchanting!
FINAL THOUGHTS
This book is for animal lovers! I really enjoyed learning about manatees. The ending is quite neat!
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…
P.S. With this book review, I will be taking a bit of a break from reviewing over the summer. I may post a review or two, but there are other things that need my attention.
Of Maria Antonia 
Sounds a lovely story! Enjoy the summer and see you back here later! 🙂
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Sounds like an animal lovers delight. Have a lovely time away.
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I have this book in my school library, but I haven’t read it yet. Thanks for the review. Very helpful!
Enjoy your break!
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I feel like I’ve seen this book, but I hadn’t ever picked it up until now (it was $1.99 on Kindle, so I grabbed a copy). We have manatees here in central FL where I live, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a MG book about them. Pretty cool!
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I hadn’t seen this story before, and it looks like an excellent read, Maria! I’m not a huge animal person, but even I will readily admit how cool manatees are (and walruses, and seals, and basically all the sea mammals), so it’s fun to see them as a respite for these characters from the stressors of their lives. Thanks so much for the thoughtful review, and I hope your summer break from blogging is smooth and restful—we’ll be glad when you return!
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I really enjoyed reading this engaging story. I also enjoyed learning about the manatee. Peter’s character arc was perfect. Thanks for keeping this one out there on MMGM. Have a great summer.
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More and more kids seem to have to help with taking care of grandparents, so this will certainly resonate with many readers. It sounds like a book I would like. I’ll keep my eye open for a copy. Thanks for the review. Enjoy your break.
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