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Sam Wu is Not Afraid of Sharks

Book Synopsis

Brilliantly funny new young series about the bravest scaredy-cat in the world.

Sam Wu is NOT a scaredy-cat (except when he is). And when a shark TOTALLY tries to eat him at the local aquarium, he decides he’s not going to take any more chances. So at his friend’s birthday party at the beach, Sam refuses to dip even a toe in the water. Nothing could go wrong now, could it?

A wonderful belly-laugh of a book, perfect for young fans of Tom Gates and Pamela Butchart.

‘Intensely likeable and sharply observed comic capers’ – Guardian

Illustrated fiction is still having something of a boom, but if you’re looking for a non-white protagonist it’s slim pickings indeed. Happily Sam Wu is about to change all that. A hero of Asian heritage with a diverse set of friends… it’s enormous fun, madcap and relatable – Bookseller

Also look out for Sam is NOT Afraid of Ghosts and Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of the Dark!

Katie and Kevin Tsang met in in 2008 while studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Since then they have lived on three different continents and travelled to over 40 countries together.

Kevin was born in Copenhagen and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of Sam Wu’s experiences are based on Kevin’s childhood. Katie was born and raised in Southern California. She has previously worked at Booktrust and also writes YA as Katherine Webber.

Our Review Panel says...

Filled with warmth and humour, Sam’s chatty narrative is really the star of these books and is what makes the stories so relatable. This book will strike a chord with anyone who knows what it feels like to be more frightened then they want to admit (which, let’s face it, is most people). Coupled with Nathan Reed’s appealing cartoon-style illustrations that are perfectly placed to bring a visual element to the book’s humorous tone, this is a brilliantly fun book that would make a wonderful addition to Year 3 & 4 classrooms. I also really like the way in which Sam’s Chinese heritage is represented positively in this series without necessarily being central to the plot.