Using the 1945 sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the worst disaster at sea in U.S. Navy history, as a starting point, Spradlin spins a gut-wrenching survival tale featuring two stowaways and sharks ts and lots of sharks. Determined to find their parents, who have been trapped in the Philippines by the Japanese invasion, 12-year-old Patrick and his deeply traumatized little brother, Teddy, sneak on board the heavy cruiser with help from Benny, a friendly marine. After the ship is torpedoed, they find themselves, along with about 900 crew members, in waters that are soon aboil with triangular fins. Aboard an improvised raft surrounded by floating corpses and listening to the shrieks of wounded sailors, Patrick fends off attack after attack for more than three agonizing days while also struggling to cope with thirst, hunger, shock, and Teddy's near constant bouts of wild panic. Rescue arrives at the last moment. The author closes with a strange revelation about Benny, a tearful family reunion, and an afterword describing both the disaster and the trumped-up court martial that followed it. Grim and vivid.

Gr 4-7 Spradlin's latest foray into the fictional past revolves around two brothers who board the U.S.S. Indianapolis having already led more dramatic lives than many readers will have ever known. Searching for parents that may or may not be alive, Patrick, the elder of the two brothers, must fight to keep the pair alive with help from the wisdom and guidance of Benny, a tough Marine with a gentle side. The events turn from bad to worse to worst as sharks and Marines fight for survival in the Pacific Ocean. Spradlin's story is paced extremely well. The characters will hook readers, the plot will grip them, and the factual pieces will create a desire to learn more about the true events behind this fictionalized tale. The shark behavior is, at times, a bit too extreme to be plausible. Still, the story is enjoyable and reveals a tender theme about the power of the human spirit. Patrick finds strength and courage from unusual sources and manages the impossible in order to save his brother and himself. VERDICT A marvelous fit in a social studies class, this novel would work well as a companion text to a World War II unit and will engage and connect students to the past. Chad Lane, Easton Elementary, Wye Mills, MD