Samantha Bennett has not only written an exciting adventure story which included a mysterious island, an elusive gem, sinister danger and surfing but has also managed to impart a message of God’s grace and love, which came through all the more powerfully for its subtle inclusion.

Well researched details made this book come alive and I could almost smell the ocean and taste the salty air of the beach… I am mentally packing my beach bag as I write!

Recommended age: 11 +

Title: Chasing Xaris
Author:  Samantha Bennett
Publication Date: 25 November 2015
Publisher: Tributaries Press
Source: Free copy from author in exchange for honest review

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Chandler Bloom starts her day like every other—on her surfboard and away from her smothering grandparents. It’s the only way she’s been able to cope since the hit-and-run that killed her parents two years ago. But when a shark nearly turns Chandler into breakfast, a loner surfer named Ari saves her life. Which is great, except that he also triggers new questions about her parents’ deaths. Before Chandler can ask him more, Ari disappears.

Desperate for answers, Chandler decides to track down Ari with the help of her best friend Jordan, a surfer guy who’s totally in love with her. The search leads to Ari’s home—a hidden island that can only be found with a form of light called xaris. But Chandler isn’t the only one searching for the island or the unearthly elements found there. Her parents died protecting it, and if Chandler doesn’t come to grips with what she’s really chasing, she could be next.     — Extract from Goodreads.com

Despite the generosity of the author, who shipped a print copy internationally so it could be donated to our school library, my policy to write an honest review was upheld.