Shark Teeth

Winston, Sherri. Shark Teeth
January 16, 2024 by Bloomsbury Children's Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Sharkita's mother was very young when Sharkita was born, and has struggled with many aspects of parenting. She has also struggled with alcoholism, and Kita and her siblings (developmentally disabled Lamar and six year old Lilli) have spent time in foster care. Things have been stable for a while. The mother has taken money from an insurance settlement and bought a town home in a pleasant area, and even gets a job early in the book. Kita, though, is always afraid that things will go back to they way they were. She pays the bills, bathes and feeds her younger sibling, and makes sure that the house is always clean, just in case social service workers visit to assess how they are doing. Her grandmother is not helpful, and causes friction when she does get involved. Since things seem calm, Kita takes a chance and tries out for the baton twirling squad; her mother allows her do to this after school because she herself wasinvolved in the sport while in school. Kita is glad to hang out with her friend Niecy and have a bit of a "normal" tween experience, but it is always in the back of her mind that things could go wrong at any moment. This fear is even voiced by Lilli, which alarms Kita. Kita benefits from talking to the school counselor, and the school does know about her past and checks in with her, but she always tell them that things are fine. When her mother tells her that she will be gone overnight but will be back in the morning, Kita is more worried than ever, but her mother is true to her word and there when she says she will be. Social services is notified, and a caseworker who had met Kita when she was about three years old is sympathetic, but can find nothing concrete that is wrong. Eventually, however, the mother demands that Kita miss a social activity in order for the mother to go out with friends, and Kita refuses. In the absence of supervision, Lamar starts a fire. In the aftermath, the children are placed with different families. These are generally okay, and Kita does her best to remain focuses and positive, but when another child beats her up and she is hospitalized, a more permanent solution comes forward. When her mother texts her, Kita is worried that she might come to a get together of the children, but things work out. It's not ideal, but Kita realizes that her mother is just not capable of giving her the care she deserves, and that she is actually much happier with her new situation. 

Strengths: This was an excellent example of the Boxcar Children Effect; there's something appealing to middle school readers about characters who are abused or neglected but manage to remain strong and overcome their circumstances. The inclusion of helpful adults like twirl coach and assistant principal Dr. Sapperstein, a school counselour, and a social worker. There are also helpful discussions about coping strategies for anxiety, and about panic attacks. Despite all of her challenges, Kita is trying to do middle school activities and maintain her friendships, which is good to see. My favorite part was probably the description of how Kita's mother managed to come back from a difficult situation, have a stable homelife, and get a good job. Sadly, that didn't last for very long. 
Weaknesses: While the concept of "shark teeth" (hyperdontia) is an interesting one and having this condition informs a lot of Kita's character, there could have been a little more explanation of this. Her fear of sharks tied in thematically, but there was so much going on in her life to make her anxious, even without this fear, that it wasn't all that necessary.
What I really think: This is a realistic look at a tween struggling with family problems, and will be a good choice for readers who like books where children are in trouble but stay strong, like Moranville's Forget-Me-Not Blue, O'Shaughnessy's Lasagna Means I Love You, and Farr's Pavi Sharma's Guide to Going Home. It's probably my favorite title by Winston, who also wrote The Braid Girls, Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution, and the Wednesday and Woof early chapter book series.