Sashimi

Gr 2-6–“You know those stories that no one believes…stories that some kid heard from another kid…and THAT kid heard it from their cousin?” So begins the tale of Sashimi, a fish-boy searching for the legendary Beast of Barnacle Bay. Wearing a sweatshirt he found in the school’s lost and found bin, Sashimi enrolls in the sixth grade and is immediately thrown into the middle of an elementary classroom. With the help of Kevin, the class pet fish, Sashimi quickly realizes that finding the Beast (and real friendship) means venturing beyond the safety of school and into the wider world of Barnacle Bay. However, a larger problem soon emerges for Sashimi as the annual hunt for the Beast of Barnacle Bay is announced, and his only chance to find someone like him might disappear in a flash. From the opening hook, a beginning reminiscent of film noir, readers will be drawn in by Santat’s characteristic humor and cartoon-style illustrations. Santat’s panel layouts are clean and accessible, only growing intentionally cluttered when it serves the story or creates comedy. Clever diagrams, effective text-illustration interplay, and fully realized characters balance comic energy with emotional depth. Themes of friendship and finding community in others resonate strongly and won’t be lost among the giant spitballs and fish flake lunches.