I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 by Lauren Tarshis is a 2010 historical fiction novel for young readers that explores a lesser-known event in American history. Part of the New York Times bestselling I Survived series, the novel tells the story of 10-year-old Chet Roscow, a boy living with his uncle in Elm Hills, New Jersey. During a summer marked by a series of terrifying shark attacks along the Atlantic coast, Chet learns about the importance of resilience, facing one’s fears, and finding one’s place in the world.

This study guide refers to the 2010 Scholastic, Inc. paperback edition.

Plot Summary

The text begins with a flash forward to July 12, as 10-year-old Chet Roscow comes face to face with a large shark in the Matawan Creek near Elm Hills, New Jersey. Not believing his eyes at first, remembering that the creek is miles away from the ocean, Chet quickly realizes that the shark is real and makes his way to safety on the shore. Chet looks back into the gaping blood-red mouth of the shark.

Nine days earlier, Chet is working at his Uncle Jerry’s diner, thinking about how glad he is to be there instead of in California with his parents, who are following his father’s next business venture. Three boys from school, Monty, Sid, and Dewey, enter the diner in a frenzy, exclaiming that there has been a shark attack. They show Chet and Uncle Jerry the newspaper report, and Uncle Jerry asks if they’re trying to play a prank, as the boys are known to do so around town. Uncle Jerry says that sharks do not attack humans.

Another diner, an old whaling captain named Captain Wilson, tells them that sharks do pose a threat to humans. He proceeds to tell them about the time he survived a shark attack while on a whaling expedition. Uncle Jerry discredits Wilson’s story because of the perception that Wilson is forgetting things in his old age. Chet’s biggest takeaway is that he would be most afraid to be all alone in the middle of the ocean. He recalls moving to Elm Hills and that despite how welcome and at home Uncle Jerry makes him feel, Chet has the sense that he will never truly belong anywhere.

An oppressive heat settles over Elm Hills, but Chet welcomes it as the boys invite him to go swimming later that week. After work, Chet races to the Matawan Creek to join his new friends. After playing in the water for a time, Chet is horrified when he goes to throw the ball to Dewey and sees a gray triangle emerge from the water, rapidly making its way toward Dewey. Thinking that a shark has attacked his friend, Chet begins to scream for help, but suddenly he is all alone, his friends nowhere in sight. Chet grows increasingly frantic and then the boys reappear from the water, laughing and teasing Chet for falling for their prank. Chet storms off, humiliated.

Chet ignores the boys the next time they come into the diner and Uncle Jerry explains to Chet that the prank is a sign that the boys view him as one of the gang. Uncle Jerry suggests that Chet play a prank on the boys to solidify the friendship. Not having ever had friends before, Chet is surprised to learn this. Uncle Jerry’s friends, Dr. Jay and Mr. Colton, visit the diner and inform them of yet another fatal shark attack in nearby Spring Lake. Dr. Jay says that people in seaside towns are becoming increasingly frantic. The shark attacks remind him of another local legend, The Creek Devil. After learning about this monster that lives in the Matawan Creek, kidnapping a child once every 10 years, Chet thinks of the perfect prank to play on his friends.

Chet stages his prank the next day using ketchup and his work uniform after agreeing to join his friends at the creek. The prank works as intended at first; the boys are terrified as Chet rises, hissing and moaning, from the water. However, the scene turns when the boys begin yelling in anger at Chet, telling him that they thought something bad had happened to him. They leave Chet behind.

Back at Uncle Jerry’s house, Uncle Jerry explains that he heard about Chet’s prank after the boys ran screaming into town. Chet assumes that Uncle Jerry is going to send him to California and begins to cry. Uncle Jerry assures Chet that he is wanted here, since he was lonely all the years during which Chet was moving around with his parents. Uncle Jerry tells Chet that he will not solve his problems by running away. Chet decides that he will make it up to his friends.

The boys do not come back to the diner for a few days, and Chet finally works up the courage to go to the creek to see them. While the boys are still working their shift at the local tile factory, Chet sees the remnants of his failed prank and resolves to clean off the dock before they arrive. Working up a sweat in the heat, Chet decides to take a swim and gets into the water. As he floats, something suddenly rams into him, cutting his chest. Confused, Chet looks down and sees blood in the water. Two black eyes emerge from the depths and Chet realizes that it is the shark. He rushes for dry land and looks back to see an enormous shark with rows of sharp teeth gnashing at him. As quickly as it arrives, the shark descends back into the water.

Shaken but determined to warn others, Chet runs into town to sound the alarm. He rushes into Mr. Colton’s hardware store, yelling that he just saw a shark, but no one believes him and assumes that the heat has muddled his thoughts. Chet realizes that there is only one person who will believe him, and he runs to Captain Wilson’s house to tell him about his encounter. Wilson believes him immediately, telling him that they need to act fast to save the people in town. Wilson tells Chet to go back to the creek to warn others to stay out of the water while Wilson gets his boat.

Running down the path to the creek, Chet yells out a warning about the shark. He sees Sid, Dewey, and Monty swimming in the water, and he warns them about the shark. The boys do not believe him and continue playing in the water. Chet thinks that no one will ever believe him and envisions 100 years from now when the townspeople will talk about Chet the same way they speak about Captain Wilson: with derision and incredulity.

Chet’s thoughts stop when he sees Sid standing still in the water, a gray fin making its way toward him. The boys yell at Sid to get out of the water, but Sid freezes in fear. Chet jumps into the water and grabs Sid’s arm, tugging him toward shore. The boys are nearly onto the dock when Chet feels the shark clamp onto his leg, first with pressure and then an explosion of pain. Chet’s friends grab his arms and pull hard against the force of the shark, finally tearing Chet’s leg free. At the same time, a gunshot rings out and he can hear a boat motor and muffled voices. He looks down at his leg and sees the bleeding wound. Chet faints.

The next chapter is a short newspaper article about a third set of shark attacks which claimed the lives of a young boy, Lester Stillwell, and a young man, Stanley Fisher, who tried to save Stillwell before succumbing to the shark himself. The article concludes by mentioning a separate attack that same day a mile up the creek, in which Chet suffered injuries to his leg but avoided further injury after Captain Wilson shot at the shark.

Chet spends a blurry week in the hospital, in and out of consciousness. He learns that the shark took a substantial portion of his calf and that he nearly lost his whole leg. Uncle Jerry stays by his side and Chet learns of the other attack, wishing his parents’ train from California would arrive sooner. Despite the newspapers christening him the “miracle kid,” Chet has never felt more alone.

On Chet’s sixth day in the hospital, Sid, Dewey, and Monty make the two-hour journey to visit him. The boys are excited to see Chet, telling him that Captain Wilson is like a celebrity in town now. The boys apologize to one another for their pranks and thank each other for the way they worked together to save their lives. Chet realizes that he and the boys are bonded forever.

The boys leave and Uncle Jerry comes in, telling Chet that his parents will arrive that evening. Uncle Jerry tells Chet that he plans to ask his father to stay in Elm Hills and help him run the diner so that Chet can stay. Chet imagines the future when he tells a group of young boys about his experience with the shark and how his friends saved him by not letting go.