The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch

    Review by: Chris

Title:  The Highest Tide

Author:  Jim Lynch

Collection:  Teen Books

I was initially drawn to this book by the picture of a bright blue starfish on its cover.  I’ve always loved tidal pools, and the novel’s main character, thirteen-year-old Miles O’Malley, seemed like someone who might share some of my interests.  Miles spends almost all of his free time poking around the tidal flats near his Washington state home.  In the process, he encounters a number of peculiar sea creatures, and Lynch’s novel is full of fascinating tidbits of scientific and zoological knowledge.  However, there is much more to it than that.  Miles also has to deal with family struggles and encounters with the opposite sex that will be familiar to most teens and former teens.  This is not a fast-paced novel.  Instead, Highest Tide is an exploration of human relationships and the natural world that is relaxed and detailed.