Fish by Gregory Mone
Reviewed by: Renny Fong
About the author:
Gregory Mone is a novelist and a science writer. Or a science writer and a novelist, for both kids and adults. He comes from an Irish-American family of swimmers and storytellers. There were no pirates in the family, but some details in Fish were borrowed from family history. Maurice "Fish" Reidy was named for Gregory's grandfather, and though the real Maurice wasn't much of a swimmer, he did cross the ocean on a boat when he immigrated to the United States from Ireland. Gregory's grandmother Brigid was forced to leave her family farm when their horse, Shamrock, died. She, too, came to America and, like Fish, had to send money back home to support her family.
As a Contributing Editor at Popular Science and freelance magazine writer, Gregory has written articles about intelligent robots, Irish mythology, cartoons, and alternative energy for many publications. (You can find more of his journalismhere.) His work has been featured in The Best American Science Writing. He is also the author of two previous books for adults, The Wages of Genius and The Truth About Santa: Wormholes, Robots, and What Really Happens on Christmas Eve. When he isn't writing, or playing horses and Barbies with his daughters, Gregory enjoys surfing and, on occasion, staring at trees or large bodies of water. Like Fish, he is also passionate about swimming; he was a nationally ranked competitive swimmer.
A native of Long Island, he now lives in Massachusetts with his wife, two daughters, and infant son.
About the book:
The idea for Fish sprang from family summers spent with Gregory's nieces and nephews on Long Island's North Fork. Elaborate treasure hunts were the norm. After one such adventure, involving a detailed map and clues leading to a sunken treasure, the children asked their uncle to write a pirate story.
Fish--nicknamed for his incredible swimming abilities--is a twelve-year-old boy from a poor farming family. After taking a job as a courier for his uncle, Fish is waylaid by pirates, who steal the package he's carrying. He soon learns that it's the key to locating the Chain of Chuacar, a legendary treasure. As he works to earn the trust of Cobb, the fortune-hunting captain of the Scurvy Mistress, Fish learns of a mutiny headed by a nasty pirate called Scab. With time running out to find the Chain, Fish and some fellow shipmates still loyal to Cobb must thwart Scab's dastardly plan.
My take on the book:
Gregory Mone concocts a tantalizing tale in Fish that both kids and adults will eat up. Whether read aloud or independently, this book will be hard to put down. Fish dishes it all out: action, suspense, mystery, and plenty of hearty laughs.
Maurice “Fish” Reidy gets thrown around quite a bit in this story. He earns the nickname, Fish, after being hurled into a lake by one of his brothers. That’s when everyone in his life, including himself, discovers his amazing swimming abilities. Because he is the weakest link on the family farm, amongst all his brothers and sisters, he is thrust into city life, to work as a courier for his uncle. He gets catapulted into the pirate’s life after botching a crucial delivery. Once aboard the Scurvy Mistress, his life on solid ground ceases, and his adventure at sea begins.
You feel as if you are there with Fish, our hero in the making, stumbling upon the motley crew of the Scurvy Mistress and going through the excruciating trials and tribulations of becoming a pirate and treasure hunter. Every bone in Fish is tested, especially his will to fight for justice without throwing any punches. Fish awakens all of the senses in its details, particularly smell. Mone writes it; you smell it. Your nose wrinkles up as Fish, being the lowest on the totem pole, has to scrub the “seats of easement” and gets too close to pirate’s breath and feet. Suspense and action are raw, with each chapter leaving you hungry for more.
Anyone looking for the next big screen blockbuster, Fish is served!
