Fish
by Gregory Mone
juvenile historical fiction
241 pages
New York : Scholastic Press, 2010
Maurice is the fifth child and youngest son born to the Reidy family on a small farm in Ireland. It becomes evident quite early that he isn't cut out for farm work. He is a good, peace-loving boy who accidentally discovers he has an amazing affinity for water and he swims every chance he gets. This earns him the nickname of Fish, which will serve him well in years to come. When he is about twelve years old the family horse dies which means they have no way to work their entire farm. Fish, as the least helpful on the farm, is chosen to go to the city and work for an uncle so he can send money back home. Fish quickly adapts to city life and loves his job as messenger boy for his uncle. Then one of his assignments goes terribly wrong and he unwillingly gets caught up in the world of pirates and treasure hunters. Throughout everything Fish remains an absolute hero, never wavering from his sense of right and loyalty. A fabulous adventure story with a wonderful main character. The variety of secondary characters give depth to the story and allow for some truly funny moments as well as some real nail-biters!
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