Family. It’s the most important component growing up. Sharkita “Kita” Hayes has a family: A mom, along with a younger brother and sister. But this family is broken.

SHARK TEETH is a compelling and often heart breaking journey relayed through the emotional words of Kita. Her family is back together again after social services had placed the three kids in foster homes. Mom was unreliable, drank too much, and often left the family for days leaving Kita as the caregiver. Things will be different this time around. Or will they?

Although life is better, Kita is worried her mother might step back into not being a mother again. It’s up to Kita to keep the family together even if the pressure to do so is tearing apart this beautiful girl. How long can it possibly last?

The relationship she has with her two siblings is motherly in the best way. She cooks and cleans for them, along with being the lowing presence missing in this family.

The title refers to Kita’s teeth having never been fixed. They look like shark teeth so she rarely smiles without covering up. Her life also feels like she is being swallowed up whole by a shark and is deathly afraid of them, despite never being near sharks.

This hard to put down story had me turning the pages hoping the bad turns into good. My favorite of 2024 so far! Outstanding!

BOOK BIRTHDAY: January 16, 2024 PAGE COUNT: 304

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: SHARK TEETH by Sherri Winston

1. School provides the much needed support for Kita in the form of an assistant principal and a counselor/psychologist. She is not often open to their help in fear they will find out how her family really operates, but these are great people doing the job they love.
2. Kita also has a fantastic group of friends. They support each other in the best ways. Laughing and being there for each other.
3. Readers who may be in the same type of family, will find suggestions in how to cope with anxiety and panic attacks.
4. Kita is a winning narrator. The intended MG audience will attach themselves to this strong girl as she tries to overcome terrible circumstances.
5. Five-year-old Lilli is a little adult, often pushing Kita to make the right decisions. She along with her brother, Lamar, are essential to making the story work the way it does.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sherri Winston is the author of President of the Whole Fifth Grade (a Sunshine State Young Readers Award selection), President of the Whole Sixth Grade (a Kids’ Indie Next Pick), President of the Whole Sixth Grade: Girl Code, The Sweetest Sound (a Kirkus Best Book of the Year), Jada Sly: Artist & Spy, and The Kayla Chronicles. Before Sherri was an author, she was a longtime newspaper writer and columnist. She grew up in Michigan and now lives in Orlando, Florida.
www.sherriwinston.com
Twitter: @sherriwinston
Instagram: @iamsherriwinston

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