Bethany Hamilton: Riding the Waves (Heroes for Young Readers)

I cannot believe this is intended for young kids! I got it for my 9 year old, for a book report on a hero. I surf, and my daughter surfs also. So, it is possible the gruesome details were more a problem for me than you. See....my daughter knows about Bethany. She KNOWS she was attacked by a shark. We have talked about it. There are sharks. There have been some people bit. But it is very very very rare. Better to worry about a car accident. So, I got the book thinking we had addressed the shark issue. Yes, a shark bit her arm off. Daughter knows that. Moving alongSo, the book came and I paged through it. And...like a third of the book details the attack and panic and blood in the water!!?!?!?. Like, "Bethany did not see the 14 foot shark with its dull nose and rows of razor sharp teeth and its leathery skin, lurking below, about to bite her arm off." WHAT??! This is like a "Jaws" the movie in book form to give little kids nightmares. There are like 4-5 pages of creepy horrorSo...I actually cut out like 5 pages to remove all the horror.Because...she needed a book. So...if your kids dont go in the ocean or intend to go in the ocean, maybe not a big issue.But, we go to Kauai and surf and swim with turtles and my daughter collects shells...all the ways the opening page describes Bethany. In any event....the focus of the book is way too much on the attack than Bethany herself

My daughter is a huge Bethany Hamilton fan. She is in 2nd grade and chose to complete a biography project on Bethany. This book was a quick and easy read for her, and provided her with some great facts for her report.

My daughter is a big Bethany Hamilton fan - she was doing a report on her so we bought this an other ones. This one is poems of her. It was good, helped her with her report. Well written. I'd buy it for a fan or someone doing research needing more references.

The story may be great but this little book is flimsy and cheap looking. i got it as a gift for a very smart 12 year old. I wish I had purchased a better version

Inspirational, my fourth grade daughter loved it and it was a a good Lexie for her. Someone in 3rd on up could easily read this.

Bought for my 9 year old daughter, she loved it!

Great!

Great little kid biography (1st - 2nd grade)