Review of Sharks Unhooked

The Adventures of Cristina Zenato,

Underwater Ranger

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Millbrook Press

(pub. 4.1.2025)

32 pages

Ages 5 - 10

Author: Patricia Newman

   Illustrator: Becca Hall

Character: Sylvia Plath

Overview:

" As a little girl, Cristina dreamed of making friends with the sharks deep in the ocean. When she grew up, she made those dreams come true, becoming a diver, conservationist, and shark advocate. But Cristina discovered that sharks―the sleek, strong, powerful guardians of the ocean―need our help. She started diving in a protective suit and, as she built trust with sharks, they began coming to her with fishing hooks stuck in their bodies. Did she have the courage to remove the hooks?"

Tantalizing taste:

"Down,

down

she dove,

wrapped in a chain suit for protection,

carrying mackerel treats to lure them closer.

A shiver of sharks silently loomed,

some inquisitive,

some bold,

some shy.

Cristina rewarded calm behavior

and slowly,

slowly

built trust."

And something more: The Off the Hook section explains: "Although

sharks are strong enough to bite through the line and swim

away, the hook remains embedded in their fins, gills, mouths,

nostrils, or throats. Many sharks carry multiple hooks.

The carbon steel hooks that fishers prefer can remain

attached to a shark for an average of two and a half years

before they rust away. Stainless steel hooks remain in sharks

for at least seven years and possibly for the life of the shark.

Hooks stuck in a shark’s fins, gills, or mouth may interfere

with feeding, and hooks embedded inside sharks cause internal

bleeding or infection.

Cristina has removed more than three hundred hooks

from Caribbean reef, nurse, and blue sharks."

And in the Note from Cristina, she shares her experience,

"My dad taught me that 'there are no monsters in the sea,

only the ones we make up in our heads.'

I made it my lifetime goal to explore sharks, to educate

myself and others better about them, and to promote their

conservation.

Thirty years later, the tides somewhat favor sharks and

I am happy to say that I obtained their complete protection

at home in the Bahamas, where I have lived and worked as

an underwater explorer. There is still more work to do, so I

won’t stop because we need sharks more than they need us."