I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916

by Lauren Tarshis, Scott Dawson (Illustrator)

Based on true events! It's the summer of 1916 and the Jersey shore is being terrorized by a Great White shark. Can 10-year-old Chet and his friends survive a swim in the local creek?

Chet Roscow is finally feeling at home in Elm Hills, New Jersey. He has a job with his uncle Jerry at the local diner, three great friends, and the perfect summertime destination: cool, refreshing Matawan Creek.But Chet's summer is interrupted by shocking news. A great white shark has been attacking swimmers along the Jersey shore, not far from Elm Hills. Everyone in town is talking about it. So when Chet sees something in the creek, he's sure it's his imagination. . . until he comes face-to-face with a bloodthirsty shark!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Historical, Chapter Books, Adventure

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Lauren Tarshis often wonders how she came to spend most of her waking moments thinking about disasters, as the author of the children's historical fiction series "I Survived." Each book takes readers into the heart of history's most thrilling and terrifying events, including the sinking of the Titanic, the Shark Attacks of 1916, Hurricane Katrina, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the San Francisco earthquake, 9/11, and the Battle of Gettysburg. Writing these books often makes her feel very nervous, as though at any moment a volcano could erupt right outside her window. Then again, she has learned a thing or two about avoiding being eaten by a shark.
Lauren is also the author of the the award-winning Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree and its sequel, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love.

For more information, go to her website: www.LaurenTarshis.com

And check out the I Survived Website: www.Scholastic.com/ISurvived

Reviews

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

TIL there is a graphic novel version of this book available. HERE I COME!

IS IT WRONG TO CHEAT ON SHARK WEEK WITH SHARKFEST??

i also survived a vicious shark attack this shark week:





shaaaaark!

the wonderful ceridwen sent me this book, because she totally gets my love of sharks, and the people they eat along the way.

don't worry, sharks don't eat people much. we are the circus peanuts of the animal kingdom, and only crazy sharks want to eat us.

but this is great - a kid's book about the shark attacks of 1916; the one jaws was based on.and it is a real-and-true story about how when there is a shark that is going on an all-you-can-eat buffet rampage, you are not even safe in a creek, or a crick, or whatever regional dialect you have that applies to your little swimming hole that is not the ocean.

and you might get noshed.

as you can tell by the title of this book, our hero chet does not get noshed, but in the real-and-true incident, two people did indeed get noshed unto death, and one just got nibbled a little. which is no fun when it is a shark what is doing the nibbling, let me tell you...

this was such an unusual occurrence, but i am glad to see that scholastic is taking time out of its day to terrify kids away from any body of water, ever. this should make bathtime fun.

it is a pretty great book - a modern-day "boy who cried wolf" story with some oddly hypocritical kids who hold grudges. but all is forgotten when your friend gets half his leg eaten by a shark. that's just basic courtesy...

come to my blog!

[Julie G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you know that in July of 1916 a small group of people were swimming in a creek sixteen miles from the Atlantic Ocean and were suddenly attacked by a shark?

An 11-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man were killed, and a 12-year-old boy was bitten on the leg but survived.

By a shark. In a creek. Near their homes.

It's a true story and as I read it to my girls, you could have heard a pin drop in the background. I don't know if either of my daughters have ever been so totally captivated by a story before.

My 9-year-old quickly accused me of ruining her life, letting me know she'd never be able to swim anywhere but the bathtub again, and my 12-year-old announced: WHO KNEW I LOVED NON-FICTION?

I told them that the terror is real. I grew up right on the Atlantic coast, by beautiful beaches, and the movie Jaws just about destroyed my relationship with water.

Then, as an adult, I read the novel Jaws and Peter Benchley just about destroyed my relationship with men.

No, there's no sexy Chief Brody in this one, but, wow, did we have fun reading this terrifying true story!

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

You would think there would be absolutely no chance of getting attacked by a shark in a fresh water creek. Still, that is exactly what happened in the summer of 1916. And the site of the attacks was sixteen miles from the Atlantic Ocean. As Lauren Tarshis explains at the end of the book, there must have been some anomaly that sent more sharks toward land that summer and one got swept up into the creek --probably a bull shark. Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water. . . Seriously, though don't worry too much about that backyard creek by your house. Your odds of being killed by a snake are over 1,000% higher than getting attacked by a shark. Watch where you walk! Another fascinating entry in this I Survived series.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Seriously?! I had no idea of (so many facts presented in this book) the threat of shark attack in brackish water. This is going to greatly diminish my comfort factor while boating on the North River for the rest of this summer and probably forever, in the same way that JAWS has impacted my enjoyment of the beach since the seventies. Of course, I can let none of this on in front of my children so as not to have the "scarred for life" thing passed down to another generation. I guess I should have expected the a) based in truth story and b) mild peril from the title and the fairly ominous cover art.

The story was age appropriate and the right reading level for my soon-to-be fourth grader. This series is very popular in the elementary school library. This was my idea for my daughter, who doesn't love reading out loud to me. As expected, the story was a hit. We shall see how she does next time we are boating in the river, though. (Or how I do, for that matter). Possible Mom fail! 4 stars.

[Suhailah · Rating 5 out of 5]

◇ 2nd installment of the young readers series "I Survived" ◇

First of all, Happy official start of Shark Week 2024 everyone! 🦈 🌊🦈🌊🦈🌊 It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year and the only good thing about the summer season for me!

Some highlights and thoughts:
🦈Okay, somehow I’m a shark fanatic and did not know much at all about the details of the shark attacks of 1916! It was nice to get the chance to delve deeper into this essential event in our history.

🦈Definitely read or listen to the author’s note at the end. It gives information about the real events, facts about sharks, and even safety tips. I am still shocked there existed a time where sharks were thought to pose no dangerous risk at all to humans! Apparently the events of the 1916 attacks really shocked America inciting fears that led to sharks getting a bad reputation. Thankfully, marine biology and underwater exploration has come a long way over the years to educate!

🦈Buddy Listen with the hubby - My husband and I both agreed that the first half of the story was pretty slow in building up but completely made up for it with the events that followed. It all came together very nicely and was fast paced at the end. It was a very captivating ride (or swim) and super fun to listen to!

🦈The main character, 10-year-old Chet was so brave! I really feel bad for the physical consequences he now has to live with for the rest of his life.

🦈If this book teaches you anything, let it be a warning about playing pranks all the time! You don’t ever want to find yourself in a boy-who-cried-wolf situation when things are urgent!

🦈Though shark attacks are reported as extremely rare, always always always proceed with caution. Anytime humans go into the ocean, it’s a risk and clearly means entering someone else’s home! A lot of someones to be exact! Not just sharks. Being a Floridian all my life, I’ve actually always been extremely uncomfortable going to the beach and getting in the water. I’ve always felt I’m disrupting something or being disrespectful. So, I haven’t been to a beach in many years now, but if I ever decide to go back it will be just to admire the ocean from a distance. The ocean is vast and one of the universe’s grandest mysteries. Mostly unexplored, the deep sea holds so many unknowns and secrets. Who knows what all exists? It’s so fascinating, I lose my mind!

🦈Lastly, a word for the sharks. ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
It’s a well-known fact that more humans kill sharks than sharks kill humans. Latest news states 100 million sharks are killed by humans worldwide each year. How and why is that okay?! As a result, many species are endangered and threatened with extinction. The top reasons sharks are hunted are for their fins for shark fin soup and for meat/leather for products. Without sharks, our entire marine ecosystem would suffer and be compromised. We must protect them and protect our oceans. Not only this, but we must also recognize how climate change plays a substantial role and has a huge impact on shark behavior and their habitat. So, get educated, stay informed, and help save the sharks!

[Mariah Roze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am trying to read as many "Who Was," "What Was," and "I Survived" books as I can get my hands on in 2017.

The "I Survived" books are always based on true events! This book is about the summer of 1916 and in the Jersey shore theres a Great White shark that has been killing locals.

"In the summer of 1916, ten year-old Chet Roscow is captivated by the local news: a Great White shark has been attacking and killing people up and down the Atlantic Coast, not far from Chet's hometown of Springfield, New Jersey."

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book two in the I SURVIVED children's series that combines fact and fiction. Characters are made up, but major events of the shark attacks are true.

Well told and informative summer adventure story set on the New Jersey shore.

FACTS ABOUT SHARK ATTACKS and true events of THE SHARK ATTACKS OF 1916 at conclusion of book.

[Kaden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chet Roscow is feeling at home in New Jersey. He has 3 great friends this summer. Everyone is talking about something .As Chet goes to the creek and sees something, is it just his imagination? I like this book because the detail and the story was amazing. I would recommend this book if you like adventure , action ,history and a little funny.

[~Bellegirl91~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So not very long after I started this audiobook, I legit went to YouTube to see if there was a video and/or a documentary at least for this event because honestly I've never heard of this event. So I found an old history 42 minute documentary on this and ended up watching it before finishing and listening to this. And it actually made it all the more interesting. Especially for such a compelling question to ask to this die:

Why all of a sudden were there random shark attacks and 4 people dying? What provoked these sharks to start attacking people? What kind of sharks were involved besides ome that was later found? Where did the shark or sharks come from? What cause them or it to shallow shores and attack people? Or was there really one shark doing all the killings?

So I've seen these books years ago coming out but didnt realize how many there were and so with Libby app having all the audios, and 3 available for me to borrow, I decided to try and listen to this almost hour in a half story and to be honest I can now see how these are actually popular and now and in fact pretty educational. Almost like the original Magic Treehouse books I grew up with in the 90s. This however was nothing compared to those but after watching the documentary and then listening to this story, I surprisingly enjoyed it for an elementary book. And as strange as this comes from an almost 29 year old, I'm pretty excited to read and listen to the rest of these throughout the year. Now I'm wishing these existed alongside my Magic Treehouse books when i was growing up 😅 I would've loved these then and now I kinda want to collect these one day for my future kids someday!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series of fictionalized eye-witness accounts of historical events written for kids. They focus on a wide variety of events from the destruction of Pompeii in AD 79 to the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The stories mix facts with a fictionalized story told by a child who was there for the event.

Each book is around 100 pages long and the audio books range from 1 to 1.5 hours, so the series is perfect length for use in a classroom situation or for at-home reading.

I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 is about shark attacks in the creeks along the Jersey Shore that summer. The attacks didn't just happen on the sea shore, but in Matawan Creek nearby as well. Swimmers in a creek did not expect to see a shark....and back then it was even believed that sharks would not attack humans.

Chet Roscow is staying in New Jersey with his uncle, helping him at his diner. His parents are in California trying to make his father's latest business venture work. Chet makes friends with some boys, and life seems to be settling down for him. Then, the newspaper headlines start talking about swimmers being killed by sharks at the beach. Chet sees a shark in Matawan Creek and tries to tell everyone about it, but most think he imagined it or the newspaper stories scared him. He walks down to the creek, and even his own friends refuse to get out of the water. Until they also see the shark. Can they escape with their lives?

There are 16 books in the I Survived series, with a new book scheduled to come out in September 2018.

[Daniel Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I thought it would be. Meant for kids, part of the I Survived series. Based on a true story. The thought in 1916 was that sharks would not attack a human being.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as much as I did the first book in the series about the Titanic. Interesting subject... something I have never heard about before.

[Joseph S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Survived the shark attacks of 1916 by Lauren Tarshis is about a kid named Chet and when he plays a prank on his friends the stop trusting him and when Chet spots a shark fin while he is swimming he tries to warn his friends, but when they don't believe him he tries to save them. Will Chet save his friends and will his friends trust him? Read I Survived the shark attacks of 1916 and find out.
I was moved by when Chet tried to save his friends from the shark. I liked the way the author put pictures in the book to put more detail in the story and so you could better understand the story. The main character of the book would have to be Chet. He is a kid that has never settled down in one place for very long and his parents left him to live with his uncle while his parents went to California. The genre of this book is nonfiction because it tells a true story , but the author wrote about made up characters to tell the story. I would say the theme of the book would be trust, because even though Chet's friends don't trust him he still tries to save them from the shark. The other theme of the book would be friendship, because Chet's friends were in trouble and since they were his friends he tried to save them from the shark. I would rate this book a solid ten because it was a super suspenceful book and and it always kept you wondering what would happen next. I didn't agree with the author putting the end of the story in the begining . It made the story very confusing. I wish that at the end of the book it told you what happened next to Chet. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did and I hope you can read the whole series. Have fun reading!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most terrifying events in history are brought vividly to life in this new fictional series! In I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 (I Survived, #2) by Lauren Tarsh, it's the summer of 1916 and the Jersey shore is being terrorized by a Great White shark. Can 10-year-old Chet and his friends survive a swim in the local creek? Sharks are usually never found this far upstream from the salty ocean.

Chet Roscow is finally feeling at home in Elm Hills, New Jersey. He has a job with his uncle Jerry at the local diner, three great friends, and the perfect summertime destination: cool, refreshing Matawan Creek. But Chet's summer is interrupted by shocking news. A great white shark has been attacking swimmers along the Jersey shore, not far from Elm Hills. Everyone in town is talking about it. So when Chet sees something in the creek, he's sure it's his imagination. . . until he comes face-to-face with a bloodthirsty shark! Great series especially for younger readers to learn about tragic historical events.

[Kat V · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cool and fun idea for a book series! I’ll be reading this with my students at a 300-400 level. I hope they like it as much as I did. 4 stars

[NATHANIELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and I just wanted to keep reading this book. I think this book taught me that certain things can happen at the best of times and the worst of times.

At the beginning of this book there’s this kid whose parents leave him at his uncle’s house while they are on a business trip. He makes friends and they decide to pull a prank on him. Chet gets mad at them and in the paper there are shark attacks but nobody believes that though. Chet decides to pull a prank on his friends, and when he is swimming he sees a shark fin coming towards him. The shark scratches his stomach but before the shark bites him, he’s able to get out of the water. He goes to town and tells the people what happened to him. Of course no one believes him. He goes to tell the captain and the captain believes him. He then tells Chet to go to the swimming hole and tell everyone to get out. Chet does what the captain says to do. the swimmers don’t believe him until they see the shark fin coming towards them. They all get out but one kid is “frozen” in the water, so Chet jumps into the water to save him. As they are getting out of the water the shark jumps out and bites the Chet’s leg. Then the captain shoots the shark, and the shark lets go of the leg and swims away. The kid is then sent to the hospital, and after his leg heals they let him go home.

I would recommend this book to both boys and girls at middle school age. The character in the book is middle school aged, and I think that they will be able to relate to the main character.

[Nicole✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learnt a few things about sharks in this graphic novel! I like the way the author includes relatable story lines for kids who will read her books - hardships starting in a new town / making new friends. Can’t wait to read more from her 🤩

[L. McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

SUPER FAST REVIEW:
Hmmm... not sure.
I think it’s pretty well written in terms of narrative quality and the characters are fairly interesting. There’s also some solid illustrations.
However it is FULL of filler (as in only a few scenes are about the shark attack) and it’s very predictable. Kinda slow.
Torn between giving it a 2 or a 3, gonna go with 3 to be nice and because it’s well written enough. I hope the next one’s better.

3/5

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

My stepson has this entire collection, so I read one. After watching Jaws at a drive-in on the 4th of July sharks have received a lot of attention at our house. Settle in with this one and your kids. They will love it!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first "I Survived" book and I really liked the audiobook. Nice mentions of local NJ spots, Beach Haven and Spring Lake. Captivating and quick.

[Sierra Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

this gets bonus points for the experience of reading it out loud to my friend blaire entirely outside during a softball game

[Emily Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

My adventure-loving son and I truly enjoyed this book.
Great life-lessons about teasing, honesty, and heroism taught within a compelling and action-packed story. Highly recommend.

[Nadine Bruggman]

this is my favorite book in the I survived books it is funny and sad and you can read it in one day.

[Nick Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1916 a great white shark started to attack swimmers on the New Jersey shore. This book is based on true events but the characters are made up. It takes place in Elm Hills, New Jersey on the ocean shore and also in the Matawan Creek. Chet Roscow is the protagonist and the other main characters are his friends Dewey, Sid and Monty. The story happens in July and over 12 days there are 4 people killed by shark attacks in waist deep water and in a creek. At the time this happened people didn't believe that sharks were dangerous to humans.

I liked this book a lot because it was really easy to read and it was about true events. The way the author writes made me feel like I was really there and since I knew that this had really happened it made me think a lot about what I would do in the situation and how scared I would be. The chapters were pretty short and they had a picture in almost every chapter which I liked so I could see the setting and characters.This book is part of a series called I SURVIVED and this is the fourth book I have read. I will definitely read the other books and I would recommend them to my classmates. My favorite part is at the end of the book and in the very back is a section that lists the facts and the names of the victims.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay...why was Chet getting so much hate for the prank he pulled? It wasn't any worse than what his friends had just done to him? This is why I am strongly against pranks...it's only funny when they aren't being pulled on you (even then I don't tend find them funny...but my sense of humor is fickle). Aside from that, I had no idea there was a shark attack in a creek in New Jersey in 1916! That's nuts. Also really enjoy the end with all the extra information.

[Ms. B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the I Survive series by Lauren Tarshis, this one is fascinating! Within 2 weeks, a series of shark attacks occurs along the coast of New Jersey. The most fascinating attack is the one that occurs 16 miles inland at Matawan Creek. Chet's story is based on this incident.
I couldn't put this one down. This is the perfect book for shark lovers and those looking for a quick read.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My eleven-year-old recommended this to me because this is one of his favorite books, so of course I had to read it :) It's a good book of a fictional account of a shark attack, but then you get to read at the end of the book the true story of several true shark attacks.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 11 year old son and I listened to my friend, Angel, read this fun book via You Tube. It was my first exposure to the I Survived Series and I was pleasantly surprised. Fun Historical Fiction for the younger set (and their moms).

[Abel Mota · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916" by Lauren Tarshis is one of the best books i have ever read. I recommend this book to every one. I think middle school students should read this book. This book tells a great story.

[Gracie Horlbogen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome!