Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

Rudy and his family live on a remote, sparsely populated island so that his younger brother Dylan, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, can eat a rare fish called the Enki. The Enki are said to have magical powers, particularly in terms of improving one’s health. Rudy and his family are not the only people who have come to the island for this reason. Many other severely ill people have come with the hope of becoming better from the fish’s restorative powers.

An island inhabited mostly by old, sick people is not exactly what Rudy was hoping for in his teenage years, but he knows that the fish are important for his brother’s health. Rudy eventually meets a girl his age named Diana who spends most of her time sitting inside and reading. Rudy finds her odd as most everything she knows seems to come from reading and not from interacting with people. Even odder is Teeth who is a merman, or fishboy as Rudy likes to call him. Rudy ends up forming a sort of friendship with this half fish/half boy and even spends some time hanging out in the ocean with the creature. Yes, this is not one of those books where I spent my time thinking “I’ve read something like this dozens of times before.” I also wondered if some of the strange things in Teeth were even real.

Rudy’s conflicted loyalties between his family, Diana, and Teeth turn the book into not just a quirky read but a book with substance. Teeth also brings up some good points about the needs of people versus their impact on the environment. If the originality in Teeth is any indication, Hannah Moskowitz is an author to keep an eye on.

John