Review: Rip Tide by Kat Falls

Rip Tide by Kat Falls. An Al Roker Book Club Selection.

Scholastic Press
Publication Date: August 2011
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780545178433

Review: The beautiful ocean. A home to many things. Fish live in the ocean as well as plants and of course, pioneers. Wait, pioneers? Yes! In Rip Tide by Kat Falls, you will discover what it's like to live on the bottom of the ocean! Rip Tide is only one of many adventures for 15 year old Ty's in the Dark Life series.

Ty is not your average boy. Now because Ty is born on the bottom of the ocean, he possesses something called a Dark Gift. He sends out clicks of sonar (like a bat) and receives a mental picture back! This gift is very useful when in the ocean. Ty and his best friend Gemma like to explore the ocean a lot. Well, at least Ty does. There was an incident with Gemma, so she doesn't enjoy the ocean as much as she used to. Anyway, one day Ty and Gemma are in a trash vortex looking for a place to hitch the submarine. Ty gets his swim gear on and goes into the ocean where he finds a good place. But once Ty looks at it more closely, he discovers that it is really a township (floating building) chained to the ocean floor! Ty is going to unlock the ship when a "red devil" charges at him! Ty manages to stop the "red devil" and its pack from eating him and unhitches the township. Once Gemma and Ty reach the surface, they turn in the ship to the Seaguard. Meanwhile, his parents have a meeting to sell crops to a surf named Drift, and Ty wants to be there. Ty makes it to the meeting just in time to see his parents being kidnapped by Drift! Pioneers are not very reliable or trustworthy people, and Ty tries to stop them, but he can't. Now only two questions cross his mind: Why is Drift kidnapping his parents? And where is he taking them? Gemma and Ty decide to try looking for them. While doing this they come across many challenges and rewarding experiences. Will Ty ever find his parents?

Rip Tide is an amazing book! It is action packed, suspenseful, and even a little romantic. I love how Ty is willing to do anything for his friends and family. I also enjoy the idea of getting to live underwater. It's like you're actually living a fairy tale life. But one of the best parts of Rip Tide is the wonderful descriptions of the terrible and great creatures of the deep. They are really fantastic; it's as if you're watching the movie right before your eyes. Gemma and Ty's bravery ties the book together and completes the story. Rip Tide is for people who are ready for adventure and suspense!

Review written by Savannah (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Scholastic for providing a copy of Rip Tide for this review.

Have you read Rip Tide? How would you rate it?