Shadows in the Water (Starbuck Family Adventures) [Hardcover]

Kathryn Lasky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1992 | Age Level: 8 and up | Series: Starbuck Family Adventures

When the Starbuck family moves to a houseboat in the Florida Keys, the Starbuck children--two sets of telepathic twins--share a wonderful telepathic link with the local dolphins, but the fragile ecosystem is being threatened by toxic waste.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- In this sequel to Double Trouble Squared (HBJ, 1991), the Starbuck children (two sets of telepathic twins) head to Florida where their father investigates toxic dumping. While he works, July and Liberty, 12, are plunged into mysteries involving dolphins and a strange boy with bandaged hands. As Charly and Molly, five, are also drawn into the intrigue, threads begin to come together. The culminating adventure and capture of the villains is exciting, but the story as a whole lacks focus. There are simply too many characters and ingredients in this mix: a "special needs" foster child, evil polluters, barqueros escaping from Cuba, dolphins that can communicate with humans, endangered turtles, telepathy, etc. July and Liberty are so nebulous in personality that by contrast the younger twins, who wear their pet lizards as "living jewelry," stand out as vividly believable little monsters. Although it enables them to communicate with the dolphins, the twins' telepathy is more a way of whispering behind grownups' backs than a solid element of fantasy. Readers looking for environmental suspense will do better with George's Missing ' Gator of Gumbo Limbo (HarperCollins, 1992). --Ruth S. Vose, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Grade 4-6-- In this sequel to Double Trouble Squared (HBJ, 1991), the Starbuck children (two sets of telepathic twins) head to Florida where their father investigates toxic dumping. While he works, July and Liberty, 12, are plunged into mysteries involving dolphins and a strange boy with bandaged hands. As Charly and Molly, five, are also drawn into the intrigue, threads begin to come together. The culminating adventure and capture of the villains is exciting, but the story as a whole lacks focus. There are simply too many characters and ingredients in this mix: a "special needs" foster child, evil polluters, barqueros escaping from Cuba, dolphins that can communicate with humans, endangered turtles, telepathy, etc. July and Liberty are so nebulous in personality that by contrast the younger twins, who wear their pet lizards as "living jewelry," stand out as vividly believable little monsters. Although it enables them to communicate with the dolphins, the twins' telepathy is more a way of whispering behind grownups' backs than a solid element of fantasy. Readers looking for environmental suspense will do better with George's Missing ' Gator of Gumbo Limbo (HarperCollins, 1992). --Ruth S. Vose, San Francisco Public Library (School Library Journal ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (October 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015273533X
• ISBN-13: 978-0152735333
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,577,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi Readers! Thanks for coming by my author page. I've written all sorts of books - from fantasy about animals to books about science. One of my favorite animal fantasy series, Guardians of Ga'Hoole, is a major motion picture. I liked writing about Ga'Hoole so much that I decided to revisit that world in a new series, Wolves of the Beyond. Visit my website, www.kathrynlasky.com to see a slide show about the real wolves I researched for the series and for the latest update on the Guardians of Ga'Hoole movie. All my best, Kathryn

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for kids who crave adventure and mystery!, April 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadows in the Water: A Starbuck Family Adventure, Book Two (Paperback)

Liberty and July; Charly and Molly Starbuck are two sets of twins telepathically connected. Their family moves from Washington, D.C. to Pelican Key in the Florida Keys with high hopes for an exciting autumn. Mr. Starbuck is assigned to catch criminals illegally dumping toxic substances into to Keys' waterways. The older twins, July and Liberty, take it upon themselves to find these criminals and save their new-found dolphin friends from almost certain death. The problem is Robbie, another of their new friends, has been caught once by these villians and if he gets caught again, he might not get a chance to get away again and neither will any of the twins

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars shadows in the water, by ashlyn green, December 18, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Shadows in the Water (A Starbuck Family Adventure) (Paperback)

Shadows in the water is basically about four twins called the starbuck twins.These twins can teleflash-which is to talk to each other without saying a word out loud.The family then moves to the Florida Keys,Liberty and July begin to get mysterious, strange messages from the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.They then begin to worry about what is going on.The faint clicks in their minds begin to grow stronger as the starbuck twins watch the dolphins weave through the waters and leap through the waves.The twins feel that sometihng is wrong and begin to think about what is going on.The starbuck twins names are Liberty,July,J.B.,and Charly.i recommend this book, it's written by KATHRYN LASKY.

4.0 out of 5 stars Stump reading..., November 24, 2007

By 

Marilyn Foran (Phx, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadows in the Water: A Starbuck Family Adventure, Book Two (Paperback)

I remember reading this when I was young. I would read while sitting on an old tree stump until it was dark. Overall it's a great read, very creative and draws the reader in. When I had finished it I went looking for the other book. It wasn't until now just about ten years later that I found it. Enjoy reading it, I'm sure you will.