Book Review: Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston

Publisher’s description

From National Book Award longlisted author Sherri Winston comes an important middle grade novel about a girl’s tumultuous journey to keep her family together, even when she’s falling apart.

Sharkita “Kita” Hayes is always waiting.
Waiting for her mama to mess up.
Waiting for social services to be called again.
Waiting for her and her siblings to be separated.
Waiting for her worst fear to come true.

But Mama promises things are different now. She’s got a good job, she’s stopped drinking, stopped going out every night-it’s almost enough to make Kita believe her this time. But even as Kita’s life is going good, she can’t shake the feeling that everything could go up in flames at any moment. When her assistant principal and trusted dance coach starts asking questions about her home life, Kita is more determined than ever to keep up appearances and make sure her family stays together-even if it means falling apart herself.

As the threat of her family being separated again circles like a shark in the water, the pressure starts to get to Kita. But could it be that Kita’s worst fear is actually the best thing that could happen to her family . . . and to her?

Amanda’s thoughts

Not an easy read, my friends, not an easy read at all. But with Winston’s typical stellar writing and vibrant characters, this rough look at the reality of life for so many kids is important and full of love.

Sharkita, age 12, has basically always been the little mama of the house, having to fill in and raise herself and her siblings because her mother is always absent or unwilling to do the job herself. Don’t get me wrong—Kita’s mom (“ol’ Britt,” as one of the friends calls her) has flashes of parenting. But Kita and her younger sister are both always waiting for it to all fall apart. Because it always does. Kita carries a huge amount of guilt for the time they ended up in foster care—she feels responsible and like she should’ve done a better job being the mom and keeping this all from happening. I will remind you what Kita herself needs the reminder of: SHE IS TWELVE AND A CHILD HERSELF. But in her mind, she’s the caretaker—and not just of her siblings, but of her mom, who had Kita when she was just 15. And her mom? She’s a piece of work. She constantly makes Kita feel like garbage, making her think there’s something wrong with her, that she’s mentally ill, that she’s broken, that she’s both worthless AND ALSO she’s ol’ Britt’s “ride or die” and expected to do all the parenting that ever needs to be done. If you’re like, I still don’t get it, how bad really is her mom? Well. Her mom reminds her over and over that it’s KITA’S fault that they all landed in foster care before.

Listen. I’m a parent. I’m hesitant to judge other parents because it’s hard and we’re all doing the best that we can. And maybe ol’ Britt is doing the best that she can. But that best? It’s pretty awful. And damaging. And doesn’t just verge on neglect; she is absolutely neglecting her three children (one of whom has special needs).

BUT. Let me talk about positives. Kita has great friends. And, most importantly, she has a great new adult in her life, Dr. Sapperstein. She’s not just the AP at school, she’s also the dance/twirl team coach. AND she’s the one adult who is always 100% of the time totally there for Kita, doing the right thing, doing the grown-up thing, and making sure she’s okay. She’s a gem and I’m so grateful Kita has an adult in her life to care for her like this.

So very much happens over the course of the story. Kita is just a kid trying to get through school and enjoy some fun but she’s also carrying more responsibilities than many adults and is almost solely responsible for the care and raising of her siblings, and, frankly, her mother. Things go bad, often. There are injuries and accidents and truly terrifying moments where Kita’s left to figure out what to do with their mom nowhere in sight. And the story goes where you expect it to. If things are bad long enough, you WILL end up on someone’s radar and (hopefully) help will step in. Even if you think you don’t need it.

I don’t like to sell books like this as “a character undergoes extremely upsetting and neglectful circumstances but remains strong and resilient” because I don’t want children to have be strong and resilient. I want them to be cared for and able to be children. But I also live in the real world where I know Kita’s story is not some made-up fantasy that no other children will see themselves in. Kita is resilient because she has no other choice. She cannot be a kid. Her mom has made that the case. And as scary and upsetting as it can be for social services to step in, those people exist to help make sure kids are being cared for.

It’s a rough read, full of heartache and bullying (often of Kita by her own mother) and truly scary moments. But readers who cry for what Kita and her siblings go through will cheer for her as she and her siblings face a new reality (not one they wanted or thought they could tolerate, but one they so desperately need). A deeply moving look at family, responsibility, neglect, abuse, and what it takes to let go and move on.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher

ISBN-13: 9781547608508
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 01/16/2024
Age Range: 9 – 11 Years

Filed under: Book Reviews