Shark Week: Everything You Need to Know by Discovery

by Martha Brockenbrough

Gliding through the water at breakneck speeds--a fin, just skimming the surface of the water. The biggest jaws you've ever seen. These are the iconic images that flash through all our minds when we think of sharks, but there's so much more to know about these majestic predators of the sea.

If you're already a fan of the Discovery's phenomenon Shark Week, then you will love this book! From the unique look of the prehistoric Whorl shark, to the hunting techniques of the Great White, all the thrills and chills of Shark Week are now here for year-round reading. Filled with photos, first-hand accounts of shark attacks, and unbelievable facts (Did you know that there are sharks that live in volcanoes?), this book is for every shark fanatic who wants to get even more up close and personal.

Now you really can live every week like it's shark week.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Childrens, Animals

Hardcover

First published May 31, 2016

About the author

Martha Brockenbrough is author of The Game of Love and Death, Finding Bigfoot, The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy, and Devine Intervention, books for young readers. For adults, she has written Things That Make Us [Sic], a hilarious guide to things that can go wrong with English, and It Could Happen to You, a diary of her first pregnancy. She's the founder of National Grammar Day and SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar.

Reviews

[karen]

another failure...

i started this during shark week, read about 40 pages, and then things got in the way. i was enjoying it very much, but i'm sick of seeing it on my currently-reading list, since that is a lie. i will finish it during shark week 2017. which will be the best shark week of all time!



is there such a thing as TOO MUCH shark week??



no way!









maggie did not like her shark hat. poor thing...

[Anna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story Summary: This is a non fiction chapter book about Shark Week! This book has different chapters on sharks and facts. There are several stories about survivors and it gives you different types of sharks as well as what they eat and how fast they go. This is overall a great read about sharks.
Grade Level: 3rd-5th
Appropriate Classroom Use: When you are teaching about the ocean and the creatures in it, or in a science class.
Individual Students: Boys/Girls that like sharks or think that oceanic fish are cool.
Small Group Use: Learn definitions about oceanic life and the habitat.
Whole Class Use: I would read this aloud during shark week so the children can learn about the creature and have an insight to what they might watch at home.
Related Books: Any books about sharks or the shark family
Multi Media Connections: Discovery Channel Shark Week

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about sharks, written in a playful and chatty tone, with information that is presented in a thorough and appealing way. Photos, many close-up, are numerous and in color. The myth about sharks being predators of humans is balanced with facts right at the start. (More humans are killed by mosquitoes or cows in a year; and yes, sharks are amazingly successful predators in part due to their very fast swimming.) Evolution, anatomy, hunting, reproduction, the variety of species, and threats to survival are covered. Appealing chapters such as "Shark Fight", where fights between sharks and other species are imagined "without anything pesky like geography, habitat, or time period getting in the way," are fun and also full of factual information on the habits of both species. (My favorite was "Chain shark vs Dachshund in a shark suit.") The chapter on Threats includes the many misconceptions created by the movie "Jaws." The book ends with survivor stories. All in all, a very appealing and entertaining offering. As a media tie-in ("The official tie-in to Discovery's massively popular Shark Week") I was not expecting the level of quality that this book delivers.

My one quibble is that many of the photos could use a caption for clarity as to the species of shark.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only is this book brimming with large photographs of various sharks, many of them with their mouths wide open, all the better to display their teeth, but it offers many interesting facts for the shark aficionados out there. Readers learn about weird shark names and odd types of sharks as well as some of their eating habits, the dangers they face today, and some shark history as well as learning that it takes sharks longer than originally thought to be mature enough to procreate, which means it requires more time to replenish the species if too many sharks are plundered from the ocean. It's cool to learn about this misunderstood but very important species, and the author goes to great pains to set the story straight when it comes to sharks. Her appreciation for them is clear in every carefully chosen word, and it's evident that she enjoyed writing the book. The book's most popular section will probably be the one in which readers imagine the outcome between a shark and another fierce animal survivor. The book provides hours of enjoyment for anyone who is fascinated by sharks and just might bring some other fans to the sides of sharks, who just may need the help of humans if they are to survive. This one is a must-have for a science classroom.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and packed with all kinds of facts concerning sharks. Was glad to see the conservational message. What photos are included are good but I would have liked to see more, particularly in the section going over different types of sharks.

I’ve been watching Shark Week for a long time now and still learned things from this book. I liked the statistics used concerning how unlikely shark attacks are, even though many people (myself included) still fixate on them when we’re in the water.

This is formatted and written so children and adults alike can read, though it’s a lot of information to retain. Still, a nice addition to the world of shark curiosity and conservation. I would have liked this even better if it had been a smaller book instead of a larger coffee-table size, though this size might be preferable to kids.

[Danielle Robertson Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about sharks but it did not feel like reading a textbook or an encyclopedia. I loved the casual language in this book, like reading a blog post. I thought the chapters and headings made everything organized and provided a seamless transition between topics. Furthermore, I appreciated all the facts and figures about sharks and shark attacks.

But wait, there's more. My son is a huge fan of those who will win books pitting one animal against another in an imaginary fight. This book features several of those fight scenarios with sharks vs things like a Kodiak bear, Tiger, etc.

What a fun summertime read!

[Kyrah Portell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book tells a lot of nice and helpful information and i also think that the shark attack stories are very cool and nice to read.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

While informative, the formatting could’ve used some work.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite holiday week of the year. Andy Casagrande has my heart

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shark Week is one of the Discovery Channel’s highest rated programs each year, so it only makes sense that they would want to draw in younger viewers. Shark Week: Everything You Need to Know will not only draw out the shark lovers, but may also create shark enthusiasts. With life-like color photographs, Shark Week aims to please the middle school (and older/younger) reader. Sectioned into chapters about life, predatory nature, types of sharks, “Shark Fight[s]”, and survivor stories, each topic is further explored in detail through general overviews and bold sections (a great text for textual analysis and reading for information). Some fun shark facts include the fact that sharks don’t chew; in clear water sharks can see further than their prey; great whites enjoy death metal, and sharks can’t move if flipped over. This is a great book for home or school collections.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the success of Discovery's shark programs, it is no surprise that a book covering some of the show's highlights would be released. I was very impressed with this book. Chapter one starts with giving basic facts on sharks in general. Did you know sharks have been around longer than dinosaurs? Chapter two discusses shark anatomy from skin to teeth, and everything in-between. I didn't know that some sharks can suntan. Chapter three highlights some different types of sharks, 24 to be exact, as well as 2 prehistoric varieties. There are also 16 odd named sharks listed. Did you know that there is a shark named Cyrano Spurdog Shark? Yep, it has an unusually large nose. Chapter four will be a popular one with readers: Shark Fight! If a shark faced another predator, who would win? How about a tiger shark vs. a lion? I won't tell. You have to read the book. Chapter five tells of the sad and real threats to shark survival. Finally, in chapter six, we learn of amazing shark attack survivors. I could go on and on. This book is fascinating and informative and so enjoyable!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was SO GOOD. The information was sometimes repetitive but that's to be expected in some ways because there is so much overlap over the information. However, Brockenbrough did a great job keeping the information from being dry and adding in popculture references to keep the book thoroughly interesting. I especially liked the animal vs. animal section. It helped highlight how different sharks hunt in different ways. The only thing I would have changed, is I would have liked to see captions on the pictures so I knew which shark I was looking at.

[Gillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned A L-O-T about sharks! I used to have galeophobia,(It's made of two Greek words, Phobos, explanation:fear and Galeos, explanation: kind of shark with weasel markings.) Now I have no fears of any kind of shark!

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did want more photos though.

[Ami Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting facts. Lots of info in this book. A must read for shark fans!