The Young Man and the Sea

by Rodman Philbrick

Overview

A story of determination and survival from the acclaimed author of FREAK THE MIGHTY. "This thrilling and elegant book ... will hold the interest of even the most stalwart landlubber." -- PWTwelve-year-old Skiff Beaman's mom just died, and his fisherman dad is too depressed to drag himself off the couch and go to work. So these days Skiff has to take care of everything himself. But when his dad's boat sinks, Skiff discovers it will cost thousands to buy a new engine. Skiff's lobster traps won't earn him enough, but there are bigger fish in the sea -- bluefin tuna. If he can catch one of those monster fish, Skiff just might save the boat -- and his family.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545600309
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/2013
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	769,317
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Newbery Honor author Rodman Philbrick has written more than a dozen novels for young readers. In 1993, he published his first children's book, Freak the Mighty, which became an instant classic, and was made into a feature film. The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg was a 2010 Newbery Honor Book. Philbrick's other acclaimed novels include Max the Mighty, The Young Man and the Sea, The Last Book in the Universe, Zane and the Hurricane, and Wildfire. Philbrick divides his time between Maine and the Florida Keys. You can learn more about him on his website: rodmanphilbrick.com.

Table of Contents

1.	Lobster Boy	9
2.	Swampers	14
3.	By the Barrel Raised	20
4.	Rotten to the Keel	27
5.	Attack of the Vampire Mud Worms	35
6.	The Finest Kind	42
7.	The Ringing of the Hammer	48
8.	What the Grease Monkey Said	53
9.	Money by the Pound	59
10.	Lobster in the Parlor	66
11.	Trap Wars	73
12.	Rich Boy in the Dark of Night	80
13.	When You Wake Up	88
14.	By Hook and by Crook	98
15.	Where the Big Fish Live	107
16.	The Blushing Bandit	113
17.	Three Rules for Skiff Beaman	119
18.	What Happened to the Stars	125
19.	If Mist Made the World	133
20.	Take My Breath Away	140
21.	When the Whoosh Comes By	149
22.	Keg Rider	158
23.	A Nantucket Sleigh Ride	166
24.	The Angel in the Mist	174
25.	The Tail on the Door	189

Editorial Reviews

After Skiff's mom dies, his dad's life revolves around draining six-packs and sleeping them off on "the TV couch." But Skiff is a survivor, and when his family's fishing boat sinks due to neglect, he kicks into action. This likable boy is a model of self-sufficiency as he goes about lobstering and, yes, battling a giant fish ala Hemingway in the pursuit of a new boat engine and a return to normal family life. (Ages 8 to 12)
Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2004

Philbrick's (Freak the Mighty) evocative tale may tip the hat to Hemingway's classic through its clever title, as well as its clean, direct prose and minimal dialogue, but it has an ending more palatable to a young audience. The 12-year-old narrator wrestles with his own Great Fish and with a devastating loss. Skiff Beaman's beloved mother has recently passed away as the story opens, sending his fisherman father into an alcoholic ennui. While Skiff's father spends day and night on the couch, watching TV and drinking himself to sleep, the family's boat, Mary Rose (named for his mother), sinks at the dock. Skiff, who sees the boat as a symbol of his family, works feverishly to bail it out and mend the damages. But the engine repairs seem impossibly expensive. Young Skiff comes up with a plan to make money by catching lobster-until his nemesis sabotages the traps. Then he decides to follow his father's trade and harpoon a bluefin tuna. How the plucky hero takes to the sea in his small boat, determined to catch a monster fish and save both his father's boat and his pride makes for a suspenseful read, and culminates in a 70-plus-page action sequence that inspires awe for both man and nature. This thrilling and elegant book overflows with detail about life at sea, but will hold the interest of even the most stalwart landlubber. Ages 9-up. (Feb.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 5-8-A 12-year-old protagonist replaces Ernest Hemingway's elderly Santiago in this takeoff on the classic novelette, set this time in coastal Maine. Skiff has lost his mother and, since her death, his father, once a hardworking fisherman locally known for his skills with a harpoon, has sunken into such deep, beer-soaked despair that his son can't seem to rouse him off the couch. As Skiff tries to single-handedly stem the rising tide of slovenly decay threatening to swamp what's left of his family, he also must contend with Tyler Croft, a bullying rich kid who sabotages his efforts to get ahead. Things seem entirely hopeless until the day he sees a giant tuna hauled in from offshore and sold for a large sum as a source for premium sushi. The fish literally and symbolically embodies all of Skiff's ambitions for a better life, and he decides to try to catch one using just a 10-foot plywood boat and a harpoon created by his father. As in The Old Man and the Sea, the ensuing adventure is told through an inner dialogue, one in which Skiff sometimes imagines he is speaking to his mother. This excellent maritime bildungsroman has all of the makings of a juvenile classic: wide-open adventure, heart-pounding suspense, and just the right amount of tear-jerking pathos, all neatly wrapped up in an ending that-unlike its namesake's-is purely triumphant. A great read-aloud, a natural for classroom use, and a must-have for all collections.-Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

This beautifully told, plainspoken Maine tale is about much more than a boy and his determination to catch a fish. Twelve-year-old Skiff's father passes his days in a haze of beer and television. Their fishing boat has sunk at the dock, taking with her their livelihood. With an old man's help, Skiff fixes the boat's planks, but repairing the motor costs too much. An upper-class bully, who calls him "swamper" ("local talk for white trash") and steals his traps, destroys his next inspiration, a lucrative lobster-hauling plan. So Skiff decides his only option is to go 30 miles out to sea all by himself and harpoon a giant bluefin tuna that will yield more than enough money to fix the boat and might just prompt his father's return to active life. Here, in true Hemingway fashion, the fishing adventure sings with urgency and determination; depth and thoughtfulness arrive via technical fishing details as well as Skiff's poignant mental dialogues with his beloved late mother. Readers will be hooked. (Fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews