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Today, Kid Lit Reviews is pleased to welcome Dr. Ellen Prager, Scarletta Press author of The Shark Whisperer, June 8th–this Saturday–is World Oceans Day and Dr. Prager will be speaking. But before she can speak there, she has to speak here. I asked her a few questions about her book series, her writing habits, and what kids could do to help the oceans of the world. Here is what she told me:

Hi, Dr. Prager. What prompted you to write The Shark Whisperer?

While promoting my last popular science book (Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime: The Ocean’s Oddest Creatures), I was repeatedly asked if I had anything specifically for middle grade students (8 to 12 years old). The answer was no. My previous books are either illustrated children’s books for younger kids or High School and above popular science books. I then investigated (did my homework) to see what type of books kids of that age like to read. The answer was crystal clear – fun fiction series, such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I was particularly taken with Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series and how he combined Greek mythology with adventure and totally sarcastic, creative humor. I became a huge fan and thought: Hey, what if I could do something like that with the ocean and sea creatures. What a great way to get kids engaged in reading and learning about the sea at an age where so many love marine animals and the ocean.

Many of the things that occur in the story are true. Can you tell us about one or two  fascinating facts?

In the book, one of the main teen characters develops the ability to change the color of his skin (later the shape of his fingers as well….teaser for book #2) to mimic other creatures or his surroundings. This is modeled after the octopus (and squid and cuttlefish), which is the best and fastest camouflage artist on the planet. They are also smart, have excellent eyesight, and can squeeze through amazingly small openings (the Houdinis of the sea). Truly amazing creatures!

After a series of events, the main characters go to the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas where they attempt to rescue some kidnapped teens and outwit a shark killing, coral reef blasting villain. In the Bahamas they confer in a cave, swim through coral reefs and over stromatolites, and come upon giant underwater waves or dunes of sand made up of small white beadlike grains called ooids. These are all based on my real experiences when I lived in the Exuma Islands and worked as the director of a small marine laboratory on tiny Lee Stocking Island.

Will Tristan be a central character in each book of the series? How many books will comprise The Shark Whisperer series?

Yes, Tristan will be the main character, accompanied by his friends Hugh and Sam. Right now we are planning for five books!

What was the hardest task involved in writing the book and how did you handle it?

Writing the book was the fun part. I love writing these books. The hard part was finding a publisher. Because I am a scientist and had not written a fiction series like this previously, I think publishers were hesitant to take it on. In addition, the combination of an entertaining fiction story with ocean science was also somewhat of a novel idea, so that also presented an obstacle for publishers. I received numerous “soul sucking” rejections and was nearly ready to throw in the towel, when Scarletta Press thankfully picked up the series. I am extremely grateful to them for taking a chance with the books and me. And hopefully, given the wonderful response so far from readers they are happy as well!

Sometimes I took the rejections as a challenge and was ready to fight for the book. At other times I went running, swimming in the ocean or jumped into my kayak to ward off the self-doubt and depression that occurred. And I had great friends and family who kept telling me to keep at it. The fact that my test readers LOVED the first book also gave me confidence that I had something worth publishing.

Of all the abilities the kids have in The Shark Whisperer, (such as Tristan understanding sharks and talking to them), which skill would you want to be a real thing and why?

Now that’s a tough question. I would definitely like to be able to talk to sea creatures, especially sharks, dolphins or eagle rays. Sam’s ability to echolocate is pretty cool too. Then again, developing webbed hands and feet and being able to swim fast and stay longer underwater would be fantastic. I just can’t choose!

Those skills definitely saved our heroes lives.  World Ocean Day is this Saturday, June 8^th. What is most important about this day?

World Ocean Day provides an opportunity for us to recognize the importance of the ocean to the planet, marine life, and especially people. It is a chance to share knowledge of and passion for the sea, and hopefully to foster a greater connection in people of all ages to the ocean and to build lifelong stewards.

What can kids do to help restore and maintain the ocean?

Kids have enormous power! But they don’t hear that all too often. Kids are a huge influence on their parents and other kids. They can get involved in coastal cleanups, ocean camps, programs at nature centers and aquariums, and share they commitment to the ocean with others. They can teach people about marine life and why we all should dispose of our trash properly and recycle so it doesn’t end up in the ocean. Kids can write their local leaders or even the President to tell them we need to take better care of the ocean. They can also ask their parents to only purchase seafood that is fished sustainably (see Monterey Bay Aquarium or the Blue Ocean Institute website for information on this). And they are the leaders and innovators of the future. Kids have power!

Can you give us a little insight into book 2?

If you liked book #1, you are going to love book #2. Tristan and his friends go on a mission to investigate mysteriously dying fish in the British Virgin Islands, an area well known for its pirate history. They will encounter strangely aggressive sharks, spooked manta rays, get trapped, be set adrift at night, and have to deal with an oncoming hurricane. There is also some cool underwater technology in the second book, including a small submersible and a robotic jellyfish.

The teens will explore some of the most beautiful and fascinating real locations in the British Virgin Islands, such as the giant boulder trails and caves of The Baths. And in dealing with a creepy new villain, Hugh surprises everyone in a move that is a real shocker. Also included in the story is a mantis shrimp with anger management problems, some squid, a moray eel, sea turtles, tarpon, dolphins, frigate birds, and more.

There is nothing worse than a fish with a sharp tail and a anger management problem. Let’s shift gears, but just slightly. Describe where do you do most of your writing. 

I write mainly in my office at home. It is light, airy, and overlooks some palm trees. I can even see the ocean in the distance. I like it to be quiet or with just the sounds of nature, such as birds chirping. Sometimes I write while traveling, but I find that harder. Though if the inspiration hits, I suppose I can write just about anywhere!

When you wrote book 1, did you write the first draft straight through before editing anything or did you edit along the way? If you can recall, how many drafts were written before the manuscript was polished enough for submission?

For me, writing is all about re-writing. I try to write pages at a time and then come back repeatedly to edit. And I definitely edit as I go. I’ll work on sections at a time to get them pretty well crafted and then move on. Many, many drafts were done before I submitted the manuscript. No idea on the number, let’s just say lots!

Is there anything you would like to add? Maybe tell us a bit about the upcoming books.

Real world ocean issues are integrated into each book. In the first book the bad guy is shark finning. Tens of millions of sharks are killed each year for their fins, meat, cartilage, and oil. As top predators, sharks are very important to the ocean ecosystem, they help to keep prey populations in check and weed out sick or diseased animals. We need to better protect sharks to protect the ocean and all of its valuable resources we depend on, and so that we as well as future generations can continue to enjoy the sea and sharks. In the second book issues such as marine pollution and overfishing are integrated into the story.

We’ll start the editing process soon for book #2 so that it will be ready to publish early May 2015. And I’m well into writing book #3. Grand Cayman’s Stingray City plays a major role in the story. If people want to learn more about the science in the books or me they can also go to www.tristan-hunt.com.

I love Stingray City. Such a cool place. Just don’t jump into the ocean with a pocket full of squid. They will make you scream as they converge upon you as you hit the water.  But great fun!

Dr. Prager, thank you for being here and answering my questions. I very much enjoyed The Shark Whisperer and will be thrilled when book 2 arrives.

Readers can read a REVIEW of The Shark Whisperer HERE or an EXCERPT HERE.

The Shark Whisperer can be bought at Amazon —B&N—Scarletta Press—at your local bookstore.

Visit Dr. Ellen Prager at her website:  http://www.earth2ocean.net/
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Readers, Thanks for hanging in there! <3

Congratulations to all of the winners of the Children’s Book Week giveaways. Those who Farfaria subscriptions will be hearing from that site to start your subscription. Those who won a book will receive n email from me. Please respond with your full home address within 72 hours. If not received within 72 hours a new winner will be declared. Books are sent to the winner from the sponsoring publisher. Congratulations to all!

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Farfaria

Winners of a 3-month subscription to Farfaria

Jennifer Hughes

C. L. Murphy

Elliot Waugh

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Winner of The Shark Whisperer, from Scarletta Junior Readers, by Dr. Ellen Prager

Melody Peugh

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Winner of Josh and the Gumshoe News Crew: The Super-Secret from Melissa Productions, Inc., by Melissa Perry Moraja

Ashley Christine Renn

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Winner of Lately Lily, from Chronicle Books, by Micah Player

Donna Taylor

Winners of Bear’s Big Bottom, from Capstone, by Steve Smallman & Emma Yarlett

KT Amanda

Sherry Butcher

Rita Monette

Winners of Lost Little Penguin, from Capstone, by Tracey Corderoy & Gavin Scott

Esperanza Garcia Gailliard

Genevieve Petrillo

Cassie Hayes

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Winner of The Monster Needs His Sleep from Scarletta Kids, by Paul Czajak, illustrated by Wendy Grieb

Stephanie Shipley

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The Shark Whisperer #1: Tristan Hunt and the Sea Guardians

by Ellen Prager

Scarlett Junior Readers

978-1-938063-44-2

Age 8 to 12        288 pages

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“Things are beginning to look up for clumsy Tristan Hunt. After falling into a pool of sharks, Tristan is invited to an ocean-themed summer camp in the Florida Keys. He soon discovers that he and the other young teens there have special talents when it comes to the ocean. When the camp receives a distress call from ocean animals, Tristan and his new friends get pulled into a daring rescue in the Bahamas. With sharks, dolphins, and quick-escape-artist octopus, can the campers outwit and evil shark-finning, reef-blasting billionaire?”

Opening

“A sudden unnatural hush fell over the crowd. All eyes were fixed on the pool below.”

The Story

Tristan spends his summer at the Florida Keys Sea Park Summer Camp. He and the other campers all have some unusual ability related to the ocean. Tristan can relate to sharks. He hones this ability during most of the summer camp. A billionaire accused of shark-finning holds three older campers hostage on his ship. The simple rescue mission Tristan and the other new campers become involved in turns out to be a more dangerous mission than originally planned. Tristan and the others may not get back to camp before the billionaire’s goonies harm them. This would not go over well with parents expecting to pick up sons and daughters at camp’s end.

Review

The Shark Whisperer takes place in one of my favorite places: waters south of Florida. Each camper has a special ability related to the ocean and its creatures. Tristan found he could relate to and understand sharks after falling into a Sea World-type amusement park’s shark tank. Tristan makes two new friends and the three bond over the summer. Friendship is a big deal in The Shark Whisperer as is loyalty, confidentiality, bravery, and self-sacrifice. The ocean life knowing how to “speak” to humans is a fascinating idea, though made up. Even though the characters and their abilities are not real, it is easy to suspend belief while reading the story.

There is much action in The Shark Whisperer, some of which is funny and a little gross. Birds help the campers with the rescue by pooping on top the billionaire’s goonies, on cue, and throwing . . .  well, that one I’ll let you find out on your own, but trust me it is hilarious, especially when the billionaire goes out on . . . there I go again giving away great moments. I loved the way the ocean and marina animals worked together, even those that are natural enemies. Once the problem is resolved, the natural order of life resumes as if nothing had happened.

Dr. Prager inserts much ocean science into the story, mostly about marine life. In the back of the book, she wrote a short note to the reader explaining what was real and what was not. You may be surprised at some of those that are real. The billionaire’s actions are real. There are those that cut the fin from sharks for a soup considered an expensive delicacy in Asia. Shark finning is especially heinous as are damaging reefs, and blasting the seabed.

The Shark Whisperer takes kids on a journey through the ocean, viewing much of it from the animals’ perspective. This is a science fiction / adventure story with real ocean conservation as the theme. At an awkward age, Tristan cannot keep up with his growing body and tends to trip over his large feet. When swimming, Tristan finds he is a marvel in the water. As his confidence grows so do his abilities. The Shark Whisperer will excite kids about the ocean and preserving it for generations to come. While not the reason for writing the book, it is a wonderful offshoot that may one day return the ocean to the glory it once was.

The author holds a PhD, is a marine scientist, and was once the chief scientist at the world’s only undersea research station in the Florida Keys. The camp is somewhat based on this research station.  All of Dr. Prager’s credentials, degrees, and experience make her one of, if not the, smartest people in ocean science today. Her writing is engaging and interesting. I hope this series has a long run. As it is, The Shark Whisperer has stayed in my head for days after finishing—in good way, if you don’t mind three kids—and one reader—itching to go back to camp.

THE SHARK WHISPERER. Text copyright © 2014 by Dr. Ellen Prager. Illustrations copyright © by Antonio Javier Caparo. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Scarletta Junior Reader, an imprint of Scarletta Press, Minneapolis, MN.

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Lean more about The Shark Whisperer HERE.

Buy The Shark Whisperer at Amazon—B&N—Scarletta Press—your local bookstore.

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Meet the author, Dr. Ellen Prager, at her website:     http://www.earth2ocean.net/

Meet the illustrator, Antonio Javier Caparo, at his website:  http://www.antoniocaparo.com/ 

For more books by the publisher Scarletta Junior Reader, go to their website:  http://scarlettapress.com/

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DON’T FORGET TO ENTER – WIN THE SHARK WHISPERER

How to Enter? – Leave a comment. For more entries, return through the 18^th, comment on the posts, and then again click on the Rafflecopter link here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Here are the prizes you can win during Children’s Book Week by leaving a comment and using the Rafflecopter at the above link:

1 of 3 3-month subscription to Farfaria, unlimited stories for your child.

a copy of The Shark Whisperer, the new series from Scarletta Press by Dr. Ellen Prager,

a copy of Josh and the Gumshoe News Crew, the new book by Melissa Perry Moraja,

a copy of Lately Lily, the new book  from Chronicle Books by Micah Player

1 of 3 copies of Bear’s Big Bottom, a new book from Capstone by Steve Smallman & Emma Yarlett,

1 of 3 copies of Lost Little Penguin, a new book from Capstone by Tracey Corderoy & Gavin Scott,

and a Surprise Pack from your host, Kid Lit Reviews.

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Return Tomorrow, and if you are interested in more giveaways, the giveaway hop has more than 100 great giveaways. If you leave a comment on one of those blogs, let me know in a second comment (too verify) for an extra entry. li

If you are like me and never win a contest or a giveaway, this week could be your turn to win a prize!

The Shark Whisperer, a new middle grade series by Ellen Prager, with illustrations by Antonio Javier Caparo, released yesterday, May 1, 2014.  To help promote this incredible ocean tale, Scarletta Junior Readers, an imprint of Scarletta Press, has released a sneak peek for Kid Lit Reviews’ loyal readers, visitors, and friends. “Follow Tristan Hunt and his …