"WAIT!"
Where am I?
Relax.
My mom and I live here with my
grandpa. They kicked you out of
the market after your sugar crash.
All I remember was drinking a
liquid called MOUTHBOMB.
*GASP* MOUTHBOMB has
so much sugar it's illegal in
three states!
Here. Have some water."
In another funny book from Dan Santat readers meet Sashimi, a fishboy who is trying to maintain a secret identity as he attends a human school. It's Tuesday night in Barnacle Bay when a pirate follows 'something' through town until he finally loses the creature. On Wednesday Sashimi shows up as a new grade six student. Classmates have countless questions to ask; Sashimi avoids many of them. Joey is tasked with showing the new kid around school, while also trying to understand some of his weirdness. Sashimi makes friends with the class pet, a female goldfish named Kevin, who helps him try to understand his new reality.
After drinking a new soda, Sashimi's reaction is zombie-like and leads Joey to help take care of him, while also admitting he would like to be friends. The two begin a quest to find the Beast of Barnacle Bay. Chaotic adventure ensues. This creates plenty of laughs for readers. Sashimi is full of heart and hope. He doesn't see the world in the same way Joey does. That holds much appeal for middle grade readers.
It is the first in a planned series of six books about the fishboy. Such books are a perfect way to get more kids reading, a needed pursuit as statistics are showing a deep drop in reading for kids today. It's often hard for kids who are different to find themselves in the books they read. They will be drawn to Sashimi whose outward appearance belies the fact that he is a lot like those who are reading about him. The novel is both witty and full of charm. It is sure to find a large following, waiting patiently until September to meet up with Sashimi once more.
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