Series: High Water Book 1
Christian Fiction
Author: Tim Shoemaker
Parker Buckman is the son of a Ranger working in the Everglades. While he is exploring with his friends he is mauled by an alligator and nearly killed. Now he sees the Everglades as a place of fear and death. All he wants is to escape from the area and he is glad that his father requests a transfer. The transfer to a new station takes much longer than Parker anticipates and in the meantime he must deal with his fear and help his friends who have trouble of their own.
Parker becomes concerned about his friend’s sister whom he has known for most of his life. She is dating someone that Parker is convinced is dangerous. When she goes missing in the Everglades, Parker knows he can’t leave until he finds her. As he and his friends search the Glades, they find that alligators aren’t the only monsters they’re facing!
This thrilling story will capture the reader’s attention from page 1. The quick moving story is full of action and suspense. There is a significant part of the plot that centers around the dating relationship of Maria and Clayton. Maria is the older sister of Parker’s best friend. Clayton is a mean and dangerous character and Parker is concerned for Maria’s safety. However, it is definitely not a romance story or inappropriate in any way.
Parker is a Christian and struggles with his faith at times in a way that many teens will relate to. He is determined to be a man of integrity which occasionally makes him the target of some teasing. Parker’s faith is a central part of the story but many of the characters, including some of his friends are not. Parker’s interactions with them and testimony to them is well written and realistic. While he strives to “do the right thing”, a theme often repeated throughout the book, he does not always succeed. When he fails, he does recognize that he is wrong and makes every effort to make things right.
Is the story well written? Yes, it is fast paced and exciting. There are a few places where the theme of integrity got a little heavy handed but overall I enjoyed the story and would recommend it.
Are the characters well developed, realistic and relatable? Yes. The dialogue is well written and believable, characters act and behave as you would expect real people too.
Does the book present positive role models? Yes, Parker himself is a great role model for teens, his father and grandfather also are good examples. I was disappointed that Parker’s mother is not present for much of the story because she is living in another town in order to keep her job. Her relationship with her family does not seem to suffer from this arrangement which I felt was not realistic.
Is the theme of the book in line with Christian morals and values? Yes. The author weaves faith, trust, honesty, and friendship throughout the book. Parker has a biblical view of God and God’s plan which he expresses to his friends in a realistic manner.
Is there any language or other concerns? It is very clean, no language and no graphic scenes. Even the dating relationship between the older characters is appropriate for 12-15 year olds although the reality of abusive relationships is part of the plot.
Recommended age? 5th Grade and up. Even high school students will enjoy this one.
What was your favorite thing about this story? Midway through the story Parker makes a realization that sums up the book’s title and theme perfectly. This is a life lesson we all need to remember!
“And in that moment, [Parker] knew that moving away from the Everglades wasn’t the answer… He’d believed moving would solve everything. But he was just fooling himself, wasn’t he?
“So many wanted to escape their situation. If I only had a different mom. A different dad. Different brother or sister. If I only had a different face. Body. If I only could get out of this school. If somebody said any one of those things to Parker, he’d have told them they’d never find an escape by going to a new place. And they’d never get more than a temporary escape with more screen time or their music. There were kids at school who were already surrendering to drugs or alcohol to find escape. But like so many things, they were temporary escapes. Dead ends. Parker could have told them that. So why had he believed a change in address would make all the difference for himself?” (pg 311)
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