Boy vs. Shark, Paul Gilligan
Boy vs. Shark, Paul Gilligan
List: $20.99 | Sale: $14.70
Club: $10.49

Boy vs. Shark

Author: Paul Gilligan

Narrator: John Fleming, Brandon Ludwig

Unabridged: 1 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tundra Books

Published: 12/16/2025


Synopsis

A hilarious middle-grade memoir about boyhood, toxic masculinity and a shark named Jaws. For fans of Guts and New Kid.

In the summer of 1975, 10-year-old Paul Gilligan doesn't have a whole lot to worry about other than keeping his comic books untarnished, getting tennis balls off roofs and keeping up with the increasingly bold stunts of his best friend, David.

And then Jaws comes to town.

Suddenly everyone is obsessing over this movie about a shark ripping people to pieces. And if you haven't seen it, not only are you missing out, you're also kind of a wimp.

Needless to say, Jaws leaves young Paul a cowering mess, and underlines the growing gap between him and David as well as the distance between where he stands and the world's expectations of a boy's "manliness."

And when Jaws himself becomes a kind of macho Jiminy Cricket for Paul, what is a scared and overwhelmed boy to do?

About The Author

PAUL GILLIGAN writes and draws the syndicated comic strip Pooch Cafe with Andrews McMeel, which runs in over 250 newspapers around the world and has been twice nominated by the National Cartoonist Society for best strip. He is the author-illustrator of the Pluto Rocket series, King of the Mole People and its sequel, Rise of the Slugs. He also has other animated shows in development with Guru Animation and The Cartoon Network. Paul is based in Toronto, Ontario.


Reviews

Goodreads review by M.G. on December 04, 2013

As a tutor of homeschooled students in my community, I have to fight against a certain proclivity when reading books: no writing or marking them! The parents generally won't allow their children to "damage" the books, so they can be reused by younger siblings or resold to other homeschooling familie......more

Goodreads review by jessica on January 30, 2023

this isnt a book. its an experience. and one that captured both my heart and mind. because i wasnt just reading a story. i was participating in a mystery unfolding within the pages and witnessing a relationship developing in the margins in real time. this is an immersive love letter to storytelling,......more

Goodreads review by Janet on November 28, 2013

I wonder what it's like to be JJ Abrams. Does a trip to the supermarket become a frantic sortie into a grocerian wilderness? Do battles rage between produce and deli, with stalks of celery raining like arrows upon quivering chunks of roast beef and aged Vermont cheddar? Are the pizzas lurking in a co......more

Goodreads review by Wil on January 01, 2015

I just closed the book after finishing the final chapter. I'm profoundly confused and unsettled. I think I may have to go all the way back to the beginning, and read the margins again, going in chronological order (according to the colors) to piece together Jenn and Eric's story. I thought I'd figur......more

Goodreads review by Ruby on December 15, 2013

TEN. FUCKING. STARS. Okay, actually, in my mind it's more like 9.5 as I had some quibbles with the last chapter, however "9.5 stars" didn't quite sound right for a heading. Reading this book was an "Experience". There was pure joy for me in this act. What more could anyone ask? [Review to be continued......more