The Book Thief
(This review first appeared in February 2007) Rating: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Knopf (2006), 552 pages. This is the story of a German girl living in a foster family in a working-class town in Germany during World War II. Such a setting encompasses,...
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
(This review first appeared in March 2007) Rating: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,by Kate DiCamillo.Candlewick Press (2006), 198 pages. This is the rare children’s book that works just as well for adults as it does for children. It is also...
Tokyo Vice
Rating: Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan, by Jake Adelstein. Pantheon Books (2009), 335 pages. I normally stay as far away as possible from books that include words like “crime boss,” “FBI,” and...
The Darkest Child
(This review first appeared in November 2006) Rating: The Darkest Child, by Delores Phillips. Soho Press (2004), 387 pages. This is a very well-written and disturbing (in a good way) novel that does not deserve its ugly cover. The boring stock photo of a...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.