The True Story of Hansel and Gretel
(This review first appeared in March 2004) Rating: The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, by Louise Murphy. Penguin Books (2003), 306 pages. Through the trees they came, pawing at the snow to uncover the moss and leaves, eating any low-growing twigs and...
Zel
(This review first appeared in May 2003) Rating: Zel, by Donna Jo Napoli. Puffin Books (1996), 234 pages. This young adult retelling of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel follows the familiar storyline—a witch, a tower, a rope of hair, impassioned jealousy, a...
The Book of Lost Things
(This review first appeared in April 2008) Rating: The Book of Lost Things, by John Connelly. Washington Square Press (2007), 480 pages. This book is actually alive. It is a book in which books talk (and shout, and throw themselves about), and the stories...
City of Thieves
(This review first appeared in July 2008) Rating: City of Thieves, by David Benioff. Viking (2008), 272 pages. In September of 1941, just two and a half months after Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, the city of Leningrad was completely encircled and...About Us
The Book Shark began as an independent book review website created by Cindy Pinto and Donna Long in 2002.
From the beginning our goal was not only to write great reviews, but also to recognize the most well-written books we read each year with an award...
Gustine Awards
The Gustine Awards were named in honor of the main character in one of our favorite books—The Dress Lodger, by Sheri Holman. Awards have been given out yearly since 2002 in three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and memoir...
Cover Art
A book’s cover is as important as the writing within it. We are aware that this may offend some authors who have toiled for years on their books and believe their words are the only thing that matters...
Reader Reviews
What’s the best or worst book you’ve ever read? What’s the most recent book that you’ve had a strong reaction to? Send us your thoughts, and we’ll post them in this spot.