Fishtale - Hardcover

Bauer , Hans; Masciola, Catherine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761462236 ISBN 13: 9780761462231

Publisher: Two Lions, 2012

Synopsis

What might have been an ordinary fishing trip becomes an unforgettable adventure when twelve-year-old Sawyer Brown pursues a legendary giant catfish and a stolen ring that may hold the key to his mother’s life.

Sawyer’s family runs a catfish farm in rural Mississippi. When his widowed mom gets sick after a pond “cat” swallows her wedding ring, Sawyer is sure the missing ring is to blame. Strange clues and a local myth convince him that the pond cat has become a meal for a far more challenging catch. He sets out with two friends and his stowaway little sister to solve the secret of the ring.

Journeying deep into a remote bayou, the foursome must rely on their wits and each other to navigate the teeming swamp, outsmart a sneaky poacher, and overcome their differences in pursuit of a colossal catfish. But this is no ordinary fish. This is Ol’ One Eye—the biggest, oldest, smartest, and meanest darn cat that ever swam the Yazoo River! And before long, the adventurers aren’t sure who is chasing who.

This is a fish tale that readers won’t want to miss.

About this title

About the Author

Hans Bauer is a photographer and screenwriter whose credits include Anaconda and Titan AE. He divides his time between Los Angeles and the Texas Hill Country. Fishtale is his first novel.

Catherine Masciola is a writer, artist, educator, and night-sky naturalist. She has taught at several universities and serves as a Night Sky Ambassador to the National Park Service. She resides near Palm Springs, California. Fishtale is her first novel.

From Kirkus Reviews

Four kids in rural Mississippi set out to catch an enormous, legendary catfish that gives them the chase of their lives in what can only be called “one heck of a fish tale.” Since their father died in Vietnam, 12-year-old Sawyer and 9-year-old Elvira help their mother, Rose, run the family’s catfish farm. After a catfish bites Rose’s finger and swallows her wedding ring, she becomes ill. When Sawyer hears about Ol’ One Eye, the “biggest, oldest, smartest, and meanest durn cat that ever swum the Yazoo,” he falls under the mythic “Catfish Time” and believes if he catches Ol’ One Eye, he will find Rose’s missing ring and she will improve. Armed with a map, poles, tackle, a rowboat, bologna sandwiches and spunk, Sawyer, his best friend, his cousin and stowaway Elvira paddle up the Yazoo seeking the phantom catfish. Told in an easygoing, colloquial style, the fast-paced plot carries readers and the four unsuspecting pals along at a rapid clip as they chase and are chased by a humongous, predatory catfish that leads them through a deserted plantation and into a submerged riverboat. Realistic black-and-white spot art reinforces the fishing theme. Four feisty kids, one wily fish, creepy bayou atmosphere and a whopper of a tale. --Kirkus, Oct. 2012

About this edition

• Publisher: Two Lions
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0761462236
• ISBN 13: 9780761462231
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 220
• Illustrator: Masciola Catherine