Description:
Thirteen-year-old Mikey Donovan has nothing but admiration for his stepfather, Bill. An accomplished charter fisherman who works in and around the Hawaiian islands, Bill is teaching Mikey the ins and outs of his boat, the Crystal-C, and Mikey is soaking up Bill's nautical know-how faster than a sea sponge. "Lord of the deep. It was kind of a joke, but that's what Mikey called him, because as far as he was concerned, Bill was the best deep-sea charter-fishing skipper there was." But what Mikey painfully discovers is that someone put on such a high pedestal has a long way to fall. When two boorish game fisherman charter the Crystal-C, their surliness and dishonesty force Bill to make some uncomfortable decisions that shake Mikey's faith in him. Over the course of two days, Mikey is taught the meaning of character and conscience by his very human stepfather, a ferocious 90-pound mahi-mahi, and an insightful drawing by a wise-beyond-her-years artist. And lest you think this fish tale sounds too weighted down in morality and matters of the heart, just try not to gasp aloud at the splendidly written struggles between man and marlin. Like the fish themselves, they jump right off the page. Lord of the Deep isn't just about deep-sea fishing, it's about deep thinking and even deeper feelings. Veteran young adult author Graham Salisbury has written a masterful tale that astutely illustrates that almost indecipherable point in adolescence when a boy becomes a man. Heartily recommended. (Ages 10 and older) --Jennifer Hubert
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