Sweet coming of age story of middle schooler Luke having to cope with his fathers sudden death and move to his grandmothers and trying to fit in at a new school.

This was an easy read with some good moral lessons.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

It’s been a long time since I have read a novel told in the first person, I have to say, it took me until about a third of the way through before I could look past it. ‘Drowning Days’ was slow to start and slightly disconnected with its overall theme of loss and family and then kidnapping and adventure. I was able to finish the novel but it was hard to push through. Overall, I can see that this would appeal to middle grade students, particularly those who enjoy a story with a bit of adventure. I wouldn’t recommend it to students who are generally reluctant readers.

What a fantastic survival book! When Luke’s dad dies, his family is forced to move to Georgia to live with their grandmother because they have no money. Unfortunately, there are two mean bullying cousins Butch and Buck that make the move even worse. When the principal of the school asks Luke and Buck to help him paint his house on a remote island for money, both boys reluctantly agree. Little do they realize what they’re in for. Wild hog poachers grab and tie up the principal. When the boys try to find where their principal went, they are bound and gagged and put in a shed. They hear the men say they will demand a ransom for them. What happens now? Will they be able to escape?