Flight of the Fisherbird - Softcover

Martin, Nora

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747571155 ISBN 13: 9780747571155

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books, 2004

Synopsis

Out to catch crabs in her small dory and surrounded by fog, Clementine Nesbitt spies two boats dangerously close to one another. Confusing shouts and the sound of something heavy splashing into the water startle her and, although the boats seem to have missed each other, it sounds as if something went over board. Edging closer, Clem spots a mysterious brown shape in the water. Deeply curious to solve the mystery ensuing from this incident, Clem is forced to ask many questions - even of those people she thought she could trust most.

About this title

About the Author

Nora Martin is the author of the very well-received A PERFECT SNOW. She is a school librarian and lives in Montana, America.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-It's 1889 in the San Juan Islands, and the prejudice against Chinese immigrants becomes immediately obvious when several men are rudely turned away from the funeral of Clem's beloved Uncle Doran's business partner whom they admired. When the deceased man's daughter comes to live with the 13-year-old's family, Clem's peaceful life is disturbed. Jealous of pretty, petite Sarah, 15, she seeks refuge in her boat, Fisherbird. She rescues Tong-Ling, an illegal immigrant thrown overboard when the Border Patrol surprises a smuggler, who later turns out to be Clem's uncle. She and her friend Jed devise a dangerous plan to get the man to the mainland. The girl's innate sense of the right thing to do by Tong-Ling is balanced by her resentment of Sarah who, now engaged to Clem's uncle, gets swept into the adventure. Throughout, Clem's lists, both practical and philosophical, and made on hoarded pieces of paper, turn out to be almost poetic counterpoints to the action. Readers will enjoy the gradual uncovering of Doran's true nature as he ruthlessly pursues the Fisherbird and its passengers. Martin ably juggles several themes, providing readers with a heroine in the tradition of Avi's Charlotte Doyle. An author's note provides background on the plight of the Chinese in 19th-century America. A fast-paced, high-stakes historical mystery.
Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0747571155
• ISBN 13: 9780747571155
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160