MG Review: The Tide Changers by Sandy Green

Synopsis:
For a thirteen-year-old kid who lives right by the ocean, Ford Kahr has never been a great swimmer. In fact, he sinks like a rock in the water. He’s actually afraid to swim in the ocean after his dad, a marine biologist and experienced scuba diver, disappeared off the shore of their hotel in Cape Lore, New Jersey, three years ago.

As klutzy as Ford is in the water, his older brother Jag is a junior swimming champ, and his younger sister Mercedes has a mystical connection to the water that Ford can’t explain. But when Jag swims out to investigate the disappearing island past the jetty, Ford uncovers an amazing secret that puts a new spin on his relationship with the ocean. The ocean harbors a whole other world beneath its surface that Mercy and Ford must explore – hoping they’ll find some clue to the disappearance of their father and the astonishing secret they share about the water.

Legends of underwater people and stories of scary sea monsters push Ford and his sister to discover the truth about what’s really out there in the ocean depths.

Review:
This is a very original idea for a story. Ford's father is lost while scuba diving and has been gone for years. As a result, Ford is terrified of drowning. When his brother has an unfortunate accident while exploring the beach near their home, it's up to Ford and his sister, Mercy, to save him. They discover an amazing secret about themselves that will lead to adventure, excitement and danger. Ford shows bravery and also some good old-fashioned common sense :) He does things he never imagined he would be able to and sees his family in a whole new light.

Like I said, this is a very unique idea. I don't want to get into the source of the secret that is discovered for spoilery reasons, but I really liked this. I think it's a great, adventurous read that any Middle Grader would enjoy reading, either alone or with a parent. My only complaint is that the story feels like it's over when there are still so many places left to be explored within the world of the book. I do realize MG can't be hundreds of pages long, so maybe a sequel would fix that :)

Publication Date: December 18, 2011
Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal
Source: Thanks so much to author, Sandy Green, and Penumbra Publishing for my review copy.

To find out more about this book and the Author visit her website Here or her blog Here.