From the author of the Doc Ford series, come a wonderful YA book that is full of adventure. this story is action packed and has a great cast of characters. I really enjoyed the way the author includes information about marine biology and water/boat safety throughout the story. It would be good for classroom teachers who are wanting to incorporate science into their daily read alouds. I'm excited to see where this series goes in future books.

Really 3.5 stars. Three young teens are excited to be trained to tag sharks. Great science and inquiry angle. They’re given lots of responsibility which means there’s lots of room for adventure. Good info on sharks and the process. The plot was predictable and the three characters a little stiff. I’m not sure what I would have though if reading it as a child. One more edit to speed up the passive voice and make the characters come alive and you could have a winner.

Thanks, NetGalley, for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of White's Doc Ford series set in Florida, that is geared to adults. I have read every one in the series, and will read the latest title, Salt River as well. While a couple of the 26 titles weren't great, most were very enjoyable, and truly it is an addictive series.

I had high hopes for Fins, and while the plot is engaging, and I loved the knowledge shared about sharks, our environment etc., and even liked the relationships between the young people, the book felt a little flat to me.

Perhaps since it is the first book in this new series geared toward YA, White felt the need to tell more than show. His character development wasn't as strong as it is in the Doc Ford Series, and honestly the first in that series, Sanibel Flats, drew me in and hooked me to read the entire series.

Perhaps I was expecting a bit more of the humor that I find in the Doc Ford series, in this (or like the environmental books set in Florida aimed for young kids, that Hiaasen writes).

I will still recommend the book, and hopefully the series to my students, I do think they will like it, and am honest enough to realize, if I didn't have the background with the Doc Ford books I would probably not have felt it was flat. It is hard to pull away from that background though.

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Randy Wayne White's Doc Ford takes a back seat to a trio of budding young scientists in Fins. This book is perfect for fans of Carl Hiaasen's middle grade fiction (Hoot, Flush, etc.). Centered on Southwest Florida's Sanibel Island, Luke, Sabina, and Maribel are all newly recruited for a shark tagging project of the island's coast.

This a book kids will love. Luke's unique circumstance, and the trio's suspicions of a nearby poaching ring make this a fast read.

Luke arrives in Florida from a farm in Ohio to stay with his grandfather and aunt Hannah after the death of his mother, since his stepfather doesn't really want him. Shortly after arriving, he is struck by lightning, which leaves him with several interesting scars, some synesthesia and occasional abilities to see things very clearly. His grandfather, wanting him to have something to do, connects him to Doc, who is running a shark tagging program. Joining him are Maribel and Sabina, two sisters who have recently arrived from Cuba. Poachers are killing sharks for their fins, which are used to make shark fin soup, but are leaving the rest of the shark to go to waste. Doc trains the children to tag the sharks (usually the very small ones), and then sends them off on their own to do this. They get into some trouble when Sabina (who is young enough to be missing front teeth) claims to have seen a poachers camp with sharks fins, but this turns out not to be true. She just wanted the attention of the news lady. The fact that the children's pictures appear in the paper is a bit worrisome, since the poachers are still on the loose. The children continue to go out in the boat and tag sharks, but run into a variety of problems. Eventually, they figure out what the poachers are up to and try to catch them. Will the police believe them this time?

Strengths: I always enjoy stories with an environmental message, and there are many interesting scientific details about the animals off the Florida coast. I also like to see children doing things. Mysteries are a popular genre in my library, and it's nice to have characters with a Cuban background. The author is from Ashland, Ohio (home of Grandpa's Cheese Barn!), which would explain Luke's background. Aside from McAnulty's The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, I can't think of any other books about children having been struck by lightning. This cover is fantastic.
Weaknesses: Luke is described as being from a farm in Ohio very frequently, and it got a bit annoying. In general, we are told about characters' traits instead of being shown through their actions, and none of them really grow. Luke in particular has little personality. I had a hard time believing that children were being sent out on a boat alone to tag sharks. With the presence of Doc, the grandfather and the aunt, (who also were very flat characters), it would have been more believable and interesting to have one of the adults involved, especially once there was a clear danger from poachers. I'm all for children having adventures, but this seemed unlikely.
What I really think: I think I will stick with Spradlin's fantastic Menace from the Deep or Carl Hiassen's mysteries to cover this area of the US. It's always interesting to see authors of adult books try their hand at middle grade, but this could have used a bit more work.