The Shark in Charlie's Window

by Keo Felker Lazarus

An eleven-year-old boy faces a unique problem when he discovers the shark hatched from the shark egg in his aquarium can fly.

127 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Keo Felker Lazarus (1913-1993) was an American writer remembered for her Young Adult novels, of which the "Gismo" series (comprised of The Gismo, The Gismonauts, and A Message from Monaal) was but a small part. She also wrote fantasy, historical, and western books and picture-books for younger readers, such as "The Billy Goat in the Chili Patch," "A Totem for Ti-Jacques," and "Rattlesnake Run."

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie finds a shark egg case which hatches into a shark that can fly.

I loved this book as a kid and it holds up amazingly well as an adult re-read. Charlie is great - he will go to enormous lengths to protect his pet from people who want to dissect it for study or eat it, but he also seems real as he forgets to shut his door or other kid things. My favorite scene is captured on the cover - Nipper (the shark) loves to hover and look out the window. Everyone assumes it's a shark poster, but imagine if you saw it and it slowly flew out of sight.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my 12 and 6 year old sons and we all got a kick out of it, but I'm pretty sure it's responsible for some strange dreams I had during and afterwards. ;-)

[Rodney Earle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was also called "The Shark in Charlie's Window" when it was released in paperback form. I am saddened that it's out of print. Would love to read it again. Fantastic book. Charlie and I had a lot in common back then.

The story is imaginitive, and well-written. Great book!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing when I was a kid, A keeper!

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing book that I read as a young child. It is a good read and very interesting. I'd reccommend this book to anyone that can read!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A flying shark you get to keep as a pet. What’s not to love 😃 10 year old me loved this book.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books growing up!

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a kid, probably 10 (and that was almost 40 years ago) and I still remember how much I enjoyed it. Yeah, even younger me recognized the impossibility of this floating shark, but it was a lot of fun! Google brought me here when I was trying to remember the name of this book.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reminded of this book when we found a shark egg-case on the beach recently. Thoroughly enjoyed it as a child. The fact I can still remember it many years later must mean something. Wish I could find a copy for my girls to read...


[Edit] Found a copy on Ebay for reasonable money and have recently re-read it. Still an enjoyable story, a little more hippies in it than I remember, but the story romps along well enough, and had elements I couldn't recall. Both my girls (7 and 9) have read it, and weren't as enthused as I was, but I didn't have David Walliams and Dav Pilkey to compare it to in my day :-)

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes:
my husband grew up reading this and gave it to our son who adores it and re-reads it constantly

[Paul Conder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many times as a child and enjoyed it - thanks to a scholastic edition at school. It is one of a handful of books from the 70s that I still remember very clearly.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

It gets five stars because it's the first book I can remember.

[Aimee Fuhrman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shark in Charlie's Window, though humorous at times, did not make it on either my son's or my favorite book list. With the kooky premise of a flying shark who lives out of the water, the book relies on suspended reality that appeals to children. Unfortunately, it is basically pulp fiction with a pretty predictable plot and underdeveloped characters. Not the worst book I've read, but not the best either.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This kids' book takes a silly idea and runs with it. It does feel a little dated at times - the price Charlie gets offered for his shark, the hippie community, etc - but this boils down to "a kid and his pet." The trope is common for a reason, and I don't see why kids today wouldn't still enjoy it.