Wild Survival: Swimming with Sharks by Melissa Cristina Marquez

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Remember when we were kids and all dreamed of becoming marine biologists when we grow up? Well Melissa Cristina Marquez actually did that. And she wrote a series inspired by her career with the hope of inspiring young readers. Wild Survival is a series about the Villalobos family who have their own nature show where they travel around the world rescuing animals. And the good news is that each book can be read like a standalone.

The Villalobos family is off the Sri Lanka to investigate a rare shark sighting. Pondicherry sharks are critically endangered and a local restaurant is keeping one in it's aquarium. This is also a good opportunity for them to educate the locals about sharks since there's so much fear of them.

Adrianna recieved a new camera from her abuela and she can't wait to take pictures of everything. And she wants to show everyone that you don't have to fear sharks. So she comes up with a plan for a festival to celebrate the sharks where people can swim with them. The family also faces close encounters in the ocean and some threatening poachers.

Who doesn't love nature shows? This book is a lot of fun for that reason. Kids will enjoy reading about Adrianna's adventures while also learning fascinating facts about animals. They also get to learn a little about the culture in Sri Lanka and even pick up some phrases. I listened to the audiobook which had great narration. And I know the physical book has illustrations in it. If any adults want to pick this one up it's reminiscent of watching Discovery Kids. 

I also liked that this series is centered around a Latinx family. Very rarely do we get to see images of Latinx scientists in media. I think this book can be very inspirational for young Latinx kids who are interested in nature and animals. Nicknamed the "Mother of Sharks" Melissa Cristina Marquez uses her real life experience as inspiration for this fun fast-paced read.