Chasing at the Surface: A Novel

by Sharon Mentyka

Sometimes finding your way home takes more than courage. It takes a leap of faith.

Chasing at the Surface tells the story of a young girl’s courage and the healing power of nature. After her mother unexpectedly leaves home, twelve-year old Marisa struggles with her feelings of loss and abandonment just as a pod of nineteen orca whales—mothers with their new calves following a run of chum salmon—become trapped in the enclosed inlet near her Northwest home. Marisa’s journey to help the whales find their way home brings her to a new understanding of the assaults humans have had on nature, and the complicated meaning of family and home.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

218 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 4, 2016

About the author

I’m a children's writer, teacher and designer and my love is writing for middle-grade children. My books include:
• CHASING AT THE SURFACE, middle grade novel that won the 2016 National Outdoor Book Award in the Children's category
• THINK SMART, BE FEARLESS: A BIOGRAPHY OF BILL GATES
• THE HEART OF THE STORM: A BIOGRAPHY OF SUE BIRD
• B IN THE WORLD, chapter book selected by Seattle Schools for inclusion in their K-5 Gender Kit.

My stories grow from small kernels of truth that explore common themes: fairness (or unfairness), transitions and helping the less powerful find their voice.

I invite you to visit my website at SharonMentyka.com for more information and follow my blog where I offer book reviews, interviews with other authors, and general impressions on the world of writing for children and young adults.

Reviews

[Anna Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

definitely a bit young for me, but still pretty good

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fall in Washington state, the chum salmon are running in Dyes Inlet, and Marisa Gage, 12, along with her best friend Lena are out in a rowboat catching as many as salmon they can. Suddenly, something strange is spotted in the water. It turns out that a pod of 19 orca whales have made their way into the inlet to feed on the salmon.

For Marisa, the whales really bring some very difficult feelings of loss and abandonment to the surface. Her mother had suddenly decided one day that she had to leave for reasons unknown to Marisa and her dad, causing their lives to turn upside down. No longer able to afford their house, Marisa and her dad have moved into a houseboat.

Hurt and angry, Marisa has essentially shut her dad out of her life, and throws her mother's letters away unread. But it was her mother who had been so fascinated by whales and who had taught her everything she knows about them. In fact, when they had spotted a new baby whale on vacation one year, Marisa had been allowed to name it, deciding to call it Muncher.

By day 3 of the whale sighting, a group of marine biologists is expected and Marisa's science teacher asks for volunteers to help them monitor the whales. Marisa decides not to, even though she knows more about whales than most of the kids in her class, but Lena signs them both up anyway.

Now, all the talk and excitement about the whales is bringing up more and more memories that Marisa would rather not think about, made all the more difficult because this is the pod of which Muncher is part. And Marisa knows that while there is still plenty of salmon for the whales to feed on, it's the end of the salmon run and given how many they must eat per day, they will soon start to run out and if they don't make their way out of Dyes Inlet, they will be in a dangerous life or death situation.

But when Marisa unintentionally hurts the feelings of a classmate and his special needs younger brother, and her dad finally tells her what he knows about her mother's childhood, Marisa suddenly realizes how angry she has been and begins to see things differently.

As the whales remain in the inlet, they are surrounded by crowds of boats of all sizes containing whale watchers, upsetting the whales and making it more and more difficult for them to find their way out of the inlet, and worse, the watchers simply ignore pleas to turn off motors and back away.

By day 30, the orca's situation is critical. Is it already too late to save the this pod of whales that Marisa has become so attached to, an attachment that somehow has so much to do with her feelings about her mother?

I was really excited to read Chasing at the Surface. I've always been fascinated by whales and whale behavior, although so sad when something goes wrong, as it seems to do more and more frequently.

But Sharon Mentyka has written a beautiful coming of age novel that explores the meaning of family, courage, and forgiveness, weaving these themes around a family of displaced orca whales mirroring the kind of displacement that Marisa feels now that she and her family also find themselves in unfamiliar waters.

Interestingly, I found that neither Marisa's or the whale's story overshadowed the other. It helps that chapters concerning the whales are clearly indicated - Orca Day 1, Orca Day 2, etc., as are chapters relating to Marisa situation. And along the way, young readers will learn much about orca whales, their family structure, and their behavior, though without any of it feeling pedantic, as well as the importance of animal conservation.

I found Chasing at the Surface to be a multi-dimensional novel that explores the mystery of nature and what happens when people interfere with it, but it also looks at nature's ability to help humans heal their wounds. Highly recommended.

Chasing at the Surface is based on an actual event in which a subpod of 19 whales swam into Dyes Inlet in 1997. It is every bit as fascination to read as this novel is and you can find out much more about it at Dyes Inlet Orcas - Ten Years Later.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, WestWinds Press

This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

1997, Dyes inlet, WA. Orca Whales what remarkable mammals. The migrate like several of the species & have a habit of making the wrong turn & getting stranded.
Some survive & some don’t. Survival of the fittest.
Oceanographers, biologists, behavioral scientists & of individuals interested in the sea creatures team up & do their very best to make sure the survive.
What was Marisa Gage’s town hall meeting speech about?

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written whale book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great whale movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Goodreads; MakingConnections; Westwind Press; paperback book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Jaina Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.

I actually wound up loving this book way more than I thought I would.

It's not like I expected to hate Chasing the Surface, of course. If I didn't think it was any good, I wouldn't have agreed to join the blog tour for its release in the first place. But while I was interested in reading Chasing at the Surface (hey, I'll read practically anything you hand me if it has a sea mammal on the cover!), I wasn't sure whether there would be a hippy-ish vibe to the whole "relationship between humans and nature" aspect advertised in the description.

Well, that definitely didn't happen. Chasing at the Surface is a really good book, full of deep storylines about family, relationships, loyalty, and what it means to truly dive beneath the surface of a situation. Many things Marisa (and the reader, for that matter) takes for granted at the beginning of the book wind up being turned on their heads by the end. I was especially surprised by the reason Marisa's mother left, because I hadn't seen that coming at all. In a slightly different vein, I also really enjoyed seeing how Mentyka incorporated Native American culture into the story. I don't know anything about west-coast Native American presence (considering the fact that I've only even been to California for three days in my entire life), but it seems from Chasing at the Surface that they're pretty active in Washington state. It adds a really meaningful dimension when they begin trying to help the whales get out of the inlet–for, as Marisa observes, "The Suquamish people have lived here . . . for thousands of years. . . . If the Tribe is worried enough about the whales to schedule a blessing ceremony, maybe we should all start paying closer attention."

Oh, and speaking of the whales: I really loved reading about them. I know next to nothing about the sea mammals, but they seem truly amazing. Reading about Marisa's close encounters with them makes me pretty jealous, actually. When I went whale-watching, I spent a full half-day huddled up on a boat (in freezing Maine!) and saw nothing more than the edge of a tail flitting out of the water in that entire time. Marisa got to see the orcas swimming, and breaching, and eating, and communicating!

Okay, wait, I just remembered that the whole reason Marisa had the opportunity to get that close in the first place was because the wales were trapped in the inlet. So yeah, that wasn't so great. And it was really despicable, actually, reading about how horribly the tourists took advantage of the whales just so they could satisfy their own curiosity. I can understand wanting to get close to the whales, but not being willing to sacrifice the animals' health in pursuit of that dream.

I sense that if I keep going in this vein I'll wind up on an animal rights rant (how could I not after googling the real-life Penn Cove orca capture Marisa learns about in the book?!), but I'm going to purposefully divert that conversation for another time and focus on talking about Chasing at the Surface itself. I mentioned many of the positives–deep storyline, intriguing themes, a fascinating storyline about trapped orcas–but  I should probably talk briefly about the negatives as well. The only main one I really have has to do with Marisa's mom. I get that she had to go, that she needed to straighten certain things out, but I am definitely not okay with the way she dumped her own husband and daughter to do that. It just about broke Marisa's heart, struggling to cope with her mother's inexplicable abandonment. That wasn't fair. A mother is meant to be there for her children. She doesn't get to just decide she's going to up and leave, that her own secret problems are more important than the emotional wellbeing of her adolescent daughter. There's a certain bond of trust that's been broken between them, and I doubt–no matter what she does next–that it will be restored any.

My issues with Marisa's mom aside, though, I really loved reading Chasing at the Surface. The rest of the characters are all drawn realistically (even the relatively minor ones!), and the plot is very gripping. I was rooting so hard for the orcas to make it out of the inlet, and . . . well, I think you'll have to read it for yourself if you want to know what happens. Suffice it to say, though, that I really enjoyed Chasing at the Surface. I hope you will, too!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about a girl coming to terms with her mother's mysterious trip away/ possible abandonment; set in Dyes Inlet, when the Orcas come to explore and get trapped. A good balance of the internal struggles/worries of the character and the all consuming fascination with whales. Lots and lots about Orca culture and communication, respectful depiction of the Suquamish Nation, and a moving portrait of the environmental impact of modern life on the world around us.

Things that were not quite on point: Marisa is supposed to be 12, but reads as an older character -- at one point, I was trying to figure out if she was 16-18. She has a lot of leeway when it comes to water time -- often taking boats out with her friends, once even kayaking solo and getting caught in fog on the inlet -- while in general that seems like an idyllic way to grow up, I feel like 12 seems awfully young for that level of independence. That said, I didn't grow up near water, so I really have no idea what it's like or when kids start being ok on their own. Some of the things feel like a bit of stretch -- why is her mother so secretive about her past? Does Marisa really have to be the central agent in every scenario that happens in the book? Would the school really let all the kids out for the afternoons in order to spend time on whale conservation? Why does she only have 1 class on Fridays -- that seems like a college schedule.

However, I really, really appreciated the hyper-local (to me) setting, and in general, I think that it was an excellent book.

[Jenny G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was on the list of Outstanding Science Trade Books. I read this through an online media called Hoopla. This is a non-fiction story told in first person by Marissa. It is a combination of narrative and non-fiction. It's a touching story of a young girl who lives in Washington State where a pod of Orcas get trapped in the inlet to feed on salmon. The whales being there brings up a whirlwind of memories of her mom who had just left home for unknown reasons. Her mom and her were obsessed with whales and even named a baby one together that they sighted before she left. She sees the same whale and realizes she needs to help these whales. Throughout the story, information about her mother is unearthed and themes of forgiveness, family and determination shine through. There are a lot of true and interesting facts about whales and a touching story of family struggles that would really connect a reader. This story would be great for grades 3-7 and could be used in the classroom for a variety of lessons including connecting, point of view, inferring, monitoring/clarifying, questioning or summarizing.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give this three and a half stars. I LOVED the PNW backdrop and all the elements of things that people who live here would know and appreciate. The story was fun, though I figured out the "twist" really early on. I enjoyed this!

[Kelly Case · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Special Education Teacher and an avid Ocean Advocate, this is a wonderful addition to my classroom library and curriculum Thank you, Sharon Mentyka for this literary contribution as an amazing author.

[Peggy Tibbetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

By all appearances, 12-year old Marisa Gage leads an enviable life with her dad on a houseboat in Puget Sound where whale watching is as common as bird watching. But her mom has left for California for unexplained reasons leaving her broken-hearted. In the midst of Marisa’s doldrums during the fall chum salmon run, a pod of 19 orca whales shows up in nearby Dyes Inlet, presumably to feed on the abundant fish supply. Coincidentally these whales are known to whale researchers as the L pod, the same pod that Marisa and her mom spent a week watching 4 years earlier on a trip to the San Juan Islands. Marisa was even lucky enough to name one of the newborn calves, Muncher. As if she wasn’t missing her mom enough, Muncher and his mom Marina along with the rest of the L pod are swimming in her back yard and the one person she most wants to share the experience with is not there for her. Her self-pity is cut short when her science teacher takes on whale watching as a class project, allowing Marisa and her friends to skip school to assist the whale researchers with monitoring and tracking the whales. Based on a true story, as days turn into weeks and the salmon slowly run out, the whales remain clustered in the inlet and a cool school project turns into a race against the clock as it’s all hands on deck to save the whales.

Mentyka artfully weaves whale facts through this moving drama about family relationships and the natural world. Though what’s outstanding is Mentyka’s skill at immersing readers in Marisa’s wonderful sensory scenes with the whales that could only come from her own first-hand experience. The parallels between the plight of the whales and Marisa’s confusion and anger at her mom reinforce that the answers to all of life’s questions can be found in nature. “Chasing at the Surface” is an unforgettable adventure that takes readers along on a heart-pounding, up-close-and-personal encounter with a pod of powerful orcas.

[Mary Kabrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story sure to captivate the hearts and imagination of many eight to twelve year olds and will touch readers of any age. Sharon skillfully weaves in themes of family, loss, forgiveness, and new beginnings while engaging readers in a drama (based on true events) of a pod of nineteen orca whales, mothers and calves, struggling to survive entrapment in an inlet. Sharon’s writing style is searing and truthful. She does an excellent job of authentically portraying the many dimensions of grief through her twelve-year old protagonist Marisa.

[Cats W. Bats, Esq.]

I'd tell you how I felt about Chasing at the Surface but I never got my giveaway copy and no one ever responded to my question about it.