Reviews

A Tear in the Ocean by H.M. Bouwman, Yuko Shimizu

kleonard's review against another edition

5.0

This is a great book. I love that it's both an adventure story and an allegory, that it shows readers why history is important and talking to each other is crucial without being pedantic or preachy. I love that the characters are not white. I love that each character has their own special competencies as well as a bunch of common ones. I love that it's full of terrific description and resists easy answers and has character growth and doesn't have a fairy tale ending. It's a perfect book for kids and for parents and for kids and parents and families to read together.

librarygirlreads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

jengennari's review against another edition

5.0

This prequel is even more beautiful than the first, a Crack in the Sea. In A Tear in the Ocean, we meet Putnam and Artie, seeking heroism and escape. This is a story about inner strength, and the bears that chase us and what it takes to defeat them. It's a wonderful mix of myth and fantasy and friendship.

Side note: I kept reading this title as a tear (rip) rather than tear (crying). The author may have intended the double meaning.

sonshinelibrarian's review

4.0

This was a great companion novel to A Crack in the Sea. I really enjoyed the characters, but I didn't feel like the story was quite as good as the first one. However, it was still a great book and I would recommend both to pretty much anyone.

kleonard's review

5.0

This is a great book. I love that it's both an adventure story and an allegory, that it shows readers why history is important and talking to each other is crucial without being pedantic or preachy. I love that the characters are not white. I love that each character has their own special competencies as well as a bunch of common ones. I love that it's full of terrific description and resists easy answers and has character growth and doesn't have a fairy tale ending. It's a perfect book for kids and for parents and for kids and parents and families to read together.