Fins (Sharks Incorporated #1)

The author of the Doc Ford series for adults makes his middle grade debut in this series launch set on that marine biologist’s home turf of Sanibel Island, Fla. After his mother’s death, sixth grader Luke moves from rural Ohio to live with his sea captain grandfather on the island, where a lightning strike imbues him with a “sixth sense” that gives him telescopic vision, extraordinary hearing, and the ability to gauge others’ moods via the colorful auras he sees surrounding them. White works this premise into the story when Doc Ford hires Luke and two sisters, Maribel and Sabina, who recently emigrated from Cuba, to help tag sharks for a research project. The boy uses his powers to locate the elusive fish and help track down a member of a poaching ring that’s been capturing sharks to peddle their fins. Despite the plot’s underlying tension, its pace is thwarted by undue repetition of background facts and jargon, and the tiresome grumbling of the pugnacious younger sister. Yet the tempo accelerates as the kids crack the mystery, after which White caps his novel with a heartwarming finale. Ages 8–12. [em](Mar.) [/em]