At home in Sitka, Alaska, 15-year-old Lucy Otswego's known for two things: her size and her father. As if being called "Giant" all the time isn't enough to make her into a total freak, she also gets the privilege of dragging the town drunk home every night. Lucy dreams of escape, of leaving Sitka forever, just like her mother did. But, how does a kid disappear like that? And who would take care of her father?
When Lucy loses the only thing that's ever mattered to her, her grief propels her to run away from her miserable life. Before she even knows what's happening, she's boarding a plane headed to Kodiak. The other passengers are college-aged kids looking for work on fishing vessels. As large as she is, Lucy fits right in. With little money and nowhere to sleep, she ends up in a bar facing a surprising challenge. It ends with an even bigger surprise - a job aboard a crabbing boat called the Miranda Lee. No one questions her age, especially when they see how hard she's willing to work. Still, not everyone's happy about having Lucy (who's calling herself "Barb" on board. With the help of warm-hearted Geneva, Lucy finds that the hard work, hefty paychecks, and camarederie of sea life agrees with her. Sitka seems far, far away.
Lucy may be feeling like an adult, but a chance encounter that threatens to reveal her true identity has her trembling like a child. What will happen if she's discovered? She never meant to hurt anyone with her charade - now she's putting others at risk. Coming clean could mean legal trouble, wounding people she loves and, once again, losing everything that's important to her. She can't survive that kind of pain again. It all comes to a head one stormy night when Lucy the Giant has to make a very adult decision, one that could mean losing everything, including her life.
Sherri L. Smith's Lucy the Giant, is one of those You-Had-Me-At-Hello stories. It grabbed my heart from the very first line and hasn't let go yet. Poignant and warm, the novel looks unassuming, but packs a powerful punch. With a unique setting, a cast of interesting characters and a compelling plotline, the book's an all-around absorbing read. Add a heroine who's wholly sympathetic and utterly endearing, and what's not to love? Although I wanted a picture-perfect ending for Lucy, the fact that she has to create her own Happily Ever After gives the story an authentic bent that makes it both hopeful and satisfying. It all works together to create an exciting, yet tender story about growing up, a story I absolutely loved.
(Readalikes: The descriptions of professional fishing/crabbing remind me of The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger and The Hungry Ocean by Linda Greenlaw, while Lucy's character reminded me of D.J. in Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Dairy Queen series and Beth from Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison)
Grade: B+
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs) and mature subjects
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find

Maybe bringing the foster children to the island began as a ploy to save the school, but Aaron's quickly becoming important to Tess. He's not the chummy big brother she imagined or an orphan destined to become her best, bosom friend like Anne of Green Gables - he's a sulky teenager, hurt by his mother's abandonment. Still, he's hers. Surely, among all Bethsaida's quirky townsfolk, there's a place for a boy like him. As Tess puts her dynamite Make-Aaron-Feel-Welcome plan into action, she discovers that life beyond her island home can be a cruel place, and that seen through someone else's eyes, Bethsaida might not be the paradise Tess feels it to be. Most of all, she discovers that wishes don't always come true in the way you imagine and that the best luck of all is the kind you make for yourself.

If you've read The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger or seen the movie based on it, you should recognize the name Linda Greenlaw. As captain of the Andrea Gail's sister ship, Hannah Boden, she was one of the last people to communicate with the doomed boat's crew. She's also the woman Junger labeled "the best captain, period, on the East Coast." Junger's praise stirred up interest in Greenlaw and her career as the only female swordboat captain in the world. When a publisher approached her for her story, Greenlaw responded by writing The Hungry Ocean.

Since people seem most interested in the day-to-day details of life aboard the Hannah Boden, Greenlaw's book describes "a real, and typical, swordfishing trip, from leaving the dock to returning" (xii). The story begins early in the morning on August 30 (not sure what year) in Gloucester, Massachusetts. When it opens, Greenlaw is breakfasting with her boss, mentally reviewing her checklist for her upcoming fishing trip. Having just brought in the most fish in her career - 56, 000 lbs. - she is eager for a repeat performance, but nervous that something has been forgotten. Will 12, 000 lbs. of bait, $3, 500 worth of groceries, and 20, 000 gallons of diesel fuel be enough to sustain her and her 5-man crew for a voyage that could last upwards of 30 days? What happens if she reaches the Grand Banks, 1, 000 miles from shore, only to discover she's forgotten something critical?

Despite her nerves, Greenlaw and her crew depart as planned, plowing northeast toward the fertile water beyond Grand Banks. As they steam, she describes the men she will be living with for the next month, the intense preparations they all make, and her own relationship with the ocean. Just when tensions are mounting on the boat, the Hannah Boden reaches her destination and the 6 fishermen spring into action. Working day and night, they jockey for choice fishing positions, battle sharks, fight personal battles, and toil to fill the ship's hold with enough fish to ensure a paycheck, however slim.

Greenlaw's writing is as matter-of-fact as I assume her to be. She describes every step of the fishing trip in detail, sometimes too much detail. I admit my eyes glazed over during some of her more technical explanations. Occasionally, she drifts into more poetic territory (especially when describing scenery), but The Hungry Ocean is mostly a frank look at an ordinary swordfishing trip with all its innate drama.

Now, I admit, that doesn't sound too exciting to those of us whose closest interactions with marine life consist of shaking frozen fish sticks out of a Gorton's box. Luckily for us, the real beauty of this book lies not with the animals, but with the humans who hunt them. Greenlaw offers vignettes about fishing life, from superstitions to pranks pulled on newbies to her own tale of "the one that got away." She also shows her crew in all their guts and glory - hardworking, hard-living men with their own faults and prejudices. Although she offers less details about her own life, Greenlaw touches on what it means to be a woman in a male-dominated industry. She insists:

Being a woman hasn't been a big deal. I never anticipated problems stemming from being female, and never encountered any. I have been surprised, even embarrassed, by the number of people who are genuinely amazed that a woman might be capable of running a fishing boat. Frankly, I'm amazed that they're amazed. People, women in particular, are generally disappointed when they learn that I have not suffered unduly from being the only woman in what they perceive to be a man's world. I might be thick-skinned - or just too damn busy working to worry about what others might think of me. (58)

While there are many fascinating aspects to The Hungry Ocean, the thing that really stands out is Linda Greenlaw's obvious passion for her work. Her love for the sea and its inhabitants imbue her story with authenticity and heart. She has known the ocean intimately and speaks of its duality with authority:

I have taken life and living from the sea, and have given the same back, I suppose. The complex and all-consuming ocean feeds man, but also feeds upon men. The flat calm that gently digests my troubles is capable of violent turbulence of enough gluttony to chew up and spit out vessels of the strongest steel, often swallowing men and ships whole. The ocean which gives so much takes back what it needs, commanding respect and getting it from those who have seen and understand the hunger. (253)

Greenlaw is at her best when contemplating her greatest enemy and fondest love - The Hungry Ocean. Her account will consume you as well.

Grade: B+