ESCAPE

🏫🌊🦈🏊‍♀️

by Sophie McKenzie

★★★

At a glance

Things I loved:

✍🏼 Author: Sophie McKenzie

🎨 Cover artist: Melania Badosa

📅 Release Date: 12th February 2026

📚 Book type: Dyslexia-friendly illustrated chapter, 96 pages

🌟 Reader level: growing

🦈 Fascinating shark facts
🌊 Exciting seaside setting
😱 Plenty of suspense
📖 Barrington Stoke dyslexia-friendly format
💪 A determined main character
⭐ Great for growing readers

Dive Deeper

My Thoughts...

I absolutely love Barrington Stoke books for their clear layouts, simple language and accessible writing, while still telling genuinely interesting and exciting stories. I picked this one up because I’m a big fan of Sophie McKenzie — and I wasn't disappointed!

Bernice is on what should be an amazing school trip to a sea-life sanctuary, but when her friends' reckless behaviour sends them plunging into the freezing waters of Shark Bay, things quickly turn into a fight for survival.Bernice must overcome her fears and use everything she knows about marine life to save her friends. But with sharks in the water, there's no time to waste…

I definitely felt sorry for Bernice but I really enjoyed the storyline and the suspense. At one point, I did start to panic, but thankfully she knew what she was doing! I also learned quite a bit about sharks, which is always a bonus in a story! I love books that manage to sneak in interesting facts without feeling like you're being taught something.

🌟A great choice for growing or less confident readers, with enough suspense to keep you turning the pages but nothing too scary.🌟

Blurb

A dream school trip to a sea-life sanctuary turns into a nightmare for Bernice when she finds herself in a race against the tide.

When her friends’ reckless behaviour plunges them all into the freezing waters of Shark Bay, Bernice has to confront her fears and summon all her knowledge of marine life to find a way to safety.

But in shark-infested waters, can she act quickly enough to save the day?