Description:
Distraught over the death of a stray dog she's adopted, and worn out after a lost childhood spent deflecting jabs at her towering height and picking up after her alcoholic, unemployed father, 15-year-old Lucy ("the Giant") escapes from her Sitka, Alaska, home north to Kodiak, and temporarily reinvents herself as an adult. Lucy, now known as Barbara, winds up on a crabbing boat, with a motley crew that is destined to help her along the painful path to self-discovery. Fast-paced and poignant, Sherri L. Smith's first young adult novel will appeal to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider in her or his own world. Readers will root for Lucy, never doubting that she will come out ahead... eventually. Her struggles--both physical and emotional--are authentic and beautifully portrayed. Smith's descriptions of the grueling yet rewarding work on the Bering Sea are vivid, and reflect nicely the inner work of her protagonist. We hope this is only the first of many novels from this gifted new author. (Ages 12 and older) --Emilie Coulter
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