Book Review: Salmon Survivor (fishing, 12-year-old boy, Alaska)

Salmon Survivor, by Christian Shane (Relevant Publishers, 171pp, $14.99PB, 2022, ages 8-12, grades 5-7) Review by Skye Anderson

Short and sweet. Well, not exactly sweet since it is a coming-of-age book. Young Jack is given a journal in which he writes to his recently deceased father as he grows up one summer on a visit to Alaska to meet his grandfather. Jack is also a fly-tier (like my brother, which I had forgotten) and author Christian Shane, a biology teacher, supplies several 'recipes' in the back part of Salmon Survivor, along with references.

The Premise

Author Christian Shane in Alaska

Young boy loves to fish with his dad in Pennsylvania but his dad passes away, his book unfinished. His wife, a photographer and writer, decides to finish the book, an Alaskan fishing guide, and brings her son to his grandfather in Alaska as she gathers more information - a grandfather Jack doesn't know, whom he has never met, who has never visited his grandson in Pennsylvania due to a fear of flying.

Who Are the Teachers and Who Are the Students?

Young Jack is sometimes wise beyond his years, but not always. Grandfather teaches him how and where to catch a salmon like the Alaskan guide that he is, how to watch out for bear, and, in turn, learns about family - late, but not too late.

And the Dog

Would you believe the dog Salmo(n) actually saves someone in the end, a foolish someone who is throwing caution to the wind as he tries to be a man before his is ready? 

Delightful Features

We picture Alaska on the palm of our hand and use our fingers to remember the five species of salmon. We also love each chapter beginning's fact about Alaska. This reviewer is from that part of the country and is familiar with the place names but a map would have been helpful.

We learn the prize is in the catching, not the keeping, of the fish. One lesson taught over and over again is to throw back the small ones and any fish caught after the 3-fish daily limit.

Releasing a Fish

All in all, a book to remember!