There are few middle grade novels attempting to tackle the topic of family separation due to incarceration. I really appreciated the author's handling of this topic and the beautiful way he shared this complicated story.

Set in Australia, this coming-of-age middle-grade story centers around 12-year-old Matthew whose dad is in prison. In order to make ends meet, Matthew and his mom must move to a coastal town to fix up his deceased grandparents’ home so it can be sold. Although he misses his best friend, Matthew quickly falls in love with the town and with fishing. He also befriends an older man who is the town outcast. Matthew loves having his mom all to himself and also not having to deal with his moody and sometimes abusive father. When his father is released from prison, everything Matthew has come to love is upended. This is a wonderful story about found family and second chances. Some of the abuse scenes are tough to read and Matthew’s mother’s reactions to them are not great. There was an adoption element that I didn’t love, so adoptive parents may want to pre-read it before handing it to their kids. It will help them prepare to answer some tough questions.

Thanks to Walker Books and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

I always love a good coming of age story! This one kept me glued for a few hours as I read Matthew's story.
In my opinion everyone's got a messed up family somewhere. Not one family is perfect.
I loved his story and too because it's from a guy's point of view. Which is why I really liked it.
Matthew's a kid just like everyone else and it's called growing up. To.me, this is a reality check. I can't imagine having an ornery parent with a weird view of things doing wrong instead of right.
Kids need to read this book simply because life isn't all fun and games. Like Matthew did.
Luckily he had some great people around to help him find himself.
My heart really went out to him but I knew that he could be the boy who overcomes hard things.
I'd reread this again and add it to my favorite YA shelf bc to me that's what this book should categorized as YA not Middle grade.
What an awesome adventure and I got to go places I'd never thought about.
This is a well written story and one I highly recommend!
The author has done well to draw me in from the beginning and I love that it's told from Matthew's POV.
5 stars for an amazing read!
My thanks for a copy of this amazing book! I wished it didn't end!
I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Oh my goodness, this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time! Saltwater Boy has such relatable characters but also takes you on an adventure that you might not get to go on if you weren’t reading the book. You get to follow Matthew as he is learning how to deal with his “messed up” family and having to grow up way too quickly. I can’t wait to read this book with my students.

It seems like I’m in the minority about this, but this…wasn’t a fantastic middle grade novel. It’s a good book, but not for middle grade.

Sure, it has a thirteen year old narrator as he’s coming of age, learning what it means to be a person with responsibilities. He goes through something a lot of kids go through - many kids can relate to dealing with an incarcerated parent, but all kids can relate to feeling like their parents aren’t listening to them.

It’s got some great representation of indigenous communities in Australia, and the author takes a great deal of care in how he depicts them.

But I wouldn’t recommend this to my students. In all honesty, kids of this generation will likely find it tedious, from the disconnected sideplot of Asha to the random encounters with the other kids in town to the unnecessary epilogue. The descriptions are stunning, but they don’t necessarily hold attention. Perhaps this is middle grade for the 1990s, which is when the book is set, but this isn’t middle grade as it is currently understood in 2024..

I would recommend this book to adults - it packs the same emotional punch as a book like Rabbit Cake. I liked the character development a LOT, and like I said earlier, the nature descriptions are gorgeous. Grown ups will really appreciate it. At most I see this as a read aloud, but I don’t see kids picking it up themselves.

Sweet, sad, angry, violent but overall a good read. Started slow, I struggled a bit but had to keep going. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

There was so much potential in the storyline of this book, but it just felt a little flat for me. I kept finding myself wishing for it to push further, or seem a little more authentic in the character interactions, but it just stayed in a sort of trying-to-impart-some-moral-for-a-middle-schooler area.

In the story Marty’s dad is in jail and his mom has to move him to a small coastal town to make ends meet. Everything is going well, Matt makes friends with a local fisherman, and is falling in love with the town, until Marty’s dad gets paroled and joins them in Crawley Point and everything changes.

I liked Bill’s character, and the story of his past, and how much kindness he showed to Matty. The Asha storyline wasn’t super necessary, I think? It felt like a random tie to his past, that didn’t push the plot or add anything really to the story. I would have preferred the focus stay on Matt, Gary and Bill.

With dad in prison, mom and Matthew go away to Poppy’s house to fix it up to sell. While there, Matthew meets Old Bill who takes him fishing and the two become friends. Some men tell Matthew to be careful of Old Bill. When Matthew’s dad is out on parole he comes back and is angry and hits Matthew but then apologizes and says I’m trying to do better. His dad tells Old Bill stay away from my son. His dad wants to try and catch a blue marlin, he takes Old Bill’s boat and he and Matthew go out. When a wave hits the boat and takes them both overboard, Matthew has to save his dad. What happens afterward?

The poignancy of this book matches the pace, which is methodic and steady.

In this middle grade novel, Matthew and his mom face difficult times -- Matthew's dad is in prison and money is short. They must make alternate and surprise plans, moving into Matthew's grandpa's old place.

Filled with memories of the new old house, new friends and old, including Old Bill -- Matthew's newest friend -- and old habits interfering with a new start, this novel fits a coming-of-age theme.