If you are being attacked by a shark, hit it on the nose: it’s a useful piece of advice if you’re cast adrift in an open dinghy in the Caribbean. Ontario author Curtis Parkinson hasn’t been cast adrift, but he did spend time living and writing picture books and short stories on a boat in the Caribbean and his knowledge of the area, boats, and the local weather and geography adds richness to his first novel, Storm-Blast.

Regan is an insecure Grade 8 student with a paralyzing fear of heights that his cousin, Matt, and his bossy older sister, Carol, never let him forget. When the children and their parents rent a yacht for a summer holiday in the Grenadines, Regan finds it difficult to get on with his relatives. When a sudden storm sweeps the three kids out to sea, they discover that if they cooperate, each one has complementary skills that help all to survive. For example, it is Regan who knows the trick with sharks but his sister who actually tries it.

Storm-Blast is a straightforward adventure story that develops predictably but satisfyingly. A nautical theme is established with quotes from Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” introducing each chapter. The kids’ characters are well developed and believable. The adult characters are less well rounded, but this isn’t a problem, although the relationship between Regan and his father could stand strengthening.

In the end, it’s Regan’s swimming skill and his ability to overcome his fear that saves them. Regan surmounts his fear a little too easily, but Parkinson avoids a pat resolution of the boy’s difficulties with his father. The tale is told in the present tense, which is occasionally invasive, but both boys and girls will be drawn along by the adventure’s brisk pace and vivid writing.