The Line Tender
By Kate Allen
April 16, 2019
Dutton
Heartbreaking but also filled with wit and hope, The Line Tender is the story of Lucy, the daughter of a marine biologist and a rescue diver, and the summer that changes her life. If she ever wants to lift the cloud of grief over her family and community, she must complete the research her late mother began. She must follow the sharks.
Wherever the sharks led, Lucy Everhart's marine-biologist mother was sure to follow. In fact, she was on a boat far off the coast of Massachusetts, collecting shark data when she died suddenly. Lucy was seven. Since then Lucy and her father have kept their heads above water--thanks in large part to a few close friends and neighbors. But June of her twelfth summer brings more than the end of school and a heat wave to sleepy Rockport. On one steamy day, the tide brings a great white--and then another tragedy, cutting short a friendship everyone insists was "meaningful" but no one can tell Lucy what it all meant. To survive the fresh wave of grief, Lucy must grab the line that connects her depressed father, a stubborn fisherman, and a curious old widower to her mother's unfinished research on the Great White's return to Cape Cod. If Lucy can find a way to help this unlikely quartet follow the sharks her mother loved, she'll finally be able to look beyond what she's lost and toward what's left to be discovered.
It's just been 12 year old Lucy and her dad since her marine biologist mother passed away. Luckily, Lucy has her best friend Fred to help her keep her head above water. The arrival of a great white shark sets off a chain of heartbreaking and life altering events that send Lucy on an unforgettable journey.
Kate Allen's The Line Tender is a heartfelt middle-grade novel about grief, friendship, and family. Allen authentically and carefully explores these topics, crafting a deeply felt story that will move and inspire readers. Readers will feel connected to Lucy's voice and relatable growing pains. The relationships in The Line Tender (Lucy and Fred, Lucy and her dad, their friends) are developed well and especially captivating.
Along with Lucy's endearing emotional journey, The Line Tender is a great celebration of nature, marine life, and the coolest animals on earth: sharks!
And I was inspired by The Line Tender to create these fun shark cupcakes:
Kate Allen grew up in Massachusetts and lives in Minneapolis, MN, with her family. The Line Tender is her first novel. 
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