Skip to main content

Fish



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!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.

Books to Read... Inspired by Our Summer Reading Theme

I am very excited about the summer reading theme here at the library: Color Our World. From the first moment I heard what the theme was going to be, it has been on my mind, and I noticed I was seeing bright and vibrant colors in so many picture books. Here are a few colorful books that inspired me! I hope you enjoy reading all summer long. How Do You Eat Color? Written by Mabi David Illustrated by Yas Doctor Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture Book. If you want a book full of vibrant colors, this one will definitely meet your expectations. Bold and eye-catching, the illustrations are a reminder that color is all around us, including in delicious foods that we eat. Even the endpapers are a deep and stunning shade that made me think of summer! I appreciated the tips the author included for why eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables is important for all of us. Inventions to Count On Written by Dana Marie Miroballi Illustrated by Sawyer Cloud New Y...

Review: The Bletchley Riddle

  The Bletchley Riddle By Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Fiction. 392 pages. It's spring of 1940, Hitler has swept through most of Europe, and people believe England will be next. Half Polish-Jewish, half American Jakob has been recruited from Cambridge to Bletchley Park where they are working on deciphering the enigma machine. Jakob's sister Lizzie, meanwhile, is being forced to move from London to Cleveland to live with her grandmother after her mother disappeared in a 1939 attack in Poland. Lizzie manages to escape the keeper her grandmother sent for her to bring her to America and makes her way to Bletchley, where she's eventually given the task of delivering messages between departments. When secret messages begin appearing with Lizzie's belongings, she must decipher them to find the truth about her mother's past and location, while keeping the secrets away from the MI5 agent that seems a little t...