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Blue Skin of the Sea

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Mass Market Paperback
$7.99 US
4.25"W x 6.75"H x 0.49"D   | 5 oz | 48 per carton
On sale May 01, 1994 | 224 Pages | 978-0-440-21905-7
Age 12 and up | Grade 7 & Up
Reading Level: Lexile 810L
Eleven interlinked stories tell the tale of a boy coming of age in Kailua-Kona, a Hawaiian fishing village. Sonny Mendoza is a little different from the rest of the men in his family. Salisbury explores characters like Aunty Pearl, a full-blooded Hawaiian as regal as the queens of old; cool Jack, from L.A., who starts a gang and dares Sonny to be brave enough, cruel enough, to join; mysterious Melanie, who steals his heart; and Deeps, the shark hunter.

But the most memorable character is the sea itself: inviting, unpredictable, deadly. Mendoza men are brave men, but Sonny's courage is of a different kind. Why can't he love and trust the water as the men of his family are meant to do?
  • WINNER | 1992
    Josette Frank Award
  • WINNER | 1992
    Judy Lopez Memorial Award
© Jeff Pfeffer
Graham Salisbury is the author of several novels, among them the award-winning Lord of the Deep, Blue Skin of the Sea, and Under the Blood-Red Sun. View titles by Graham Salisbury
Discussion Guide for Blue Skin of the Sea

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

Eleven interlinked stories tell the tale of a boy coming of age in Kailua-Kona, a Hawaiian fishing village. Sonny Mendoza is a little different from the rest of the men in his family. Salisbury explores characters like Aunty Pearl, a full-blooded Hawaiian as regal as the queens of old; cool Jack, from L.A., who starts a gang and dares Sonny to be brave enough, cruel enough, to join; mysterious Melanie, who steals his heart; and Deeps, the shark hunter.

But the most memorable character is the sea itself: inviting, unpredictable, deadly. Mendoza men are brave men, but Sonny's courage is of a different kind. Why can't he love and trust the water as the men of his family are meant to do?

Awards

  • WINNER | 1992
    Josette Frank Award
  • WINNER | 1992
    Judy Lopez Memorial Award

Author

© Jeff Pfeffer
Graham Salisbury is the author of several novels, among them the award-winning Lord of the Deep, Blue Skin of the Sea, and Under the Blood-Red Sun. View titles by Graham Salisbury

Additional Materials

Discussion Guide for Blue Skin of the Sea

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)