He lives in Austin, Texas with a mischievous tuxedo cat and several overflowing bookshelves.Ever wonder who invented the aquarium? Why a woman, of course! Through his role as the youth programming specialist at The Writing Barn, a creative writing education center, he also teaches online writing classes for kids. He worked for several years as an editor at Workman Publishing, where he specialized in non-fiction for children and adults, and he continues to edit books on a freelance basis. He studied creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. They won’t feel so much alone by spending time with Manatee Summer.Įvan Griffith is the author of the middle-grade novel Manatee Summer (Quill Tree, 2022) and the picture book biography Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power, Revolutionary Marine Scientist (Clarion, 2021).

The issues of losing a friend and having a loved one’s memory decline will be familiar for many MG readers.

Peter learns much from his contact at the manatee rescue center and of course his connection with Zoe, the manatee he befriends.

If you don’t know much about manatees this would be natural place to start.

Maybe not full resolution in the 288 pages, but you get the feeling he’s going to do well in the future. His strong voice is full of feelings about the challenges facing him in his short life. It was nice to see this selfish behavior depicted so honestly. He puts his needs first and those of animals and other people around him second. Reilly acts toward the natural world is all too familiar.

There are tears and misconceptions all rolled into one great tale. You don’t often find boys in stories showing emotions like they do here.************* FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: MANATEE SUMMER by Evan Griffith The truth comes out and it’s an enriching experience for readers. Peter not only discovers more about himself but others in his life. You couldn’t as for a better summertime story in MANATEE SUMMER. Reilly, the president of the boating association-a neighbor who cares more about his boats than manatees getting injured. He tries to navigate through the uncertainties of losing both his best friend and grandfather while not being afraid to confront Mr. Papa’s memory is failing and bouts of dementia are a challenge to overcome.Įmotions run deep and the first person narration by Peter is superbly crafted. Meanwhile, Peter is taking care of his grandfather while Mom works as a realtor during the day. Tommy and his family are moving to Michigan and breaking up this twosome.

The find not only gets them closer to their goal of 100 animals, but also motivates Peter to join the fight to save Florida manatees. Their newest is a manatee they find injured by a boat (Discovery #95).

Secrets of the Sea by Evan Griffith