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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
hickeypicks's review against another edition
4.0
I am a huge fan of Alice Hoffman’s books for adults like Practical Magic, The Probable Future and Here on Earth. I was so excited to see her in the juvenile fiction stacks. It is a short book, less than 100 pages, but a full tale where Hoffman covers a range of emotions and rich details in this book.
Martha Glimmer has lost her mother. Her father is too sad to pay any real attention to her. They live in a town that was devastated by a flood many years ago. There is a real fear of water there among the town’s people. Martha’s two best friends are the McGill brothers (the hint in the last name was not lost on me.) The boys are unusual. First of all, they love water, while the other people in town are afraid. The boys also have thin webbing between their fingers and toes. The children call them Eel and Trout. The McGill’s adopted them while on vacation at the shore. Their origins had always been a mystery to everyone but the parents. The boy’s father fears water more than anyone in town. But his fears have less to do with the flood. The McGill’s refuse to let their boys visit the ocean and so seeing the ocean becomes an obsession for them.
Martha, Eel and Trout decide to run away so they can see the ocean, but on the night they leave, another rain storm comes, causing another flood. The boys risk exposing what creatures they really are to help save people.
The characters in this book are so interesting and easy to relate to. Martha is trying to figure out who she is without her mother. Her mother was an exotic woman who loved to dance. Martha clings to a silk shawl she remembers her mother dancing with. The boys, Trout and Eel are full of wonder and I couldn’t wait to find out where they came from and who their real mother was.
This would be a good introduction to fantasy for a child who is used to reading only realistic fiction. Alice Hoffman has written another water tale called Aquamarine.
Martha Glimmer has lost her mother. Her father is too sad to pay any real attention to her. They live in a town that was devastated by a flood many years ago. There is a real fear of water there among the town’s people. Martha’s two best friends are the McGill brothers (the hint in the last name was not lost on me.) The boys are unusual. First of all, they love water, while the other people in town are afraid. The boys also have thin webbing between their fingers and toes. The children call them Eel and Trout. The McGill’s adopted them while on vacation at the shore. Their origins had always been a mystery to everyone but the parents. The boy’s father fears water more than anyone in town. But his fears have less to do with the flood. The McGill’s refuse to let their boys visit the ocean and so seeing the ocean becomes an obsession for them.
Martha, Eel and Trout decide to run away so they can see the ocean, but on the night they leave, another rain storm comes, causing another flood. The boys risk exposing what creatures they really are to help save people.
The characters in this book are so interesting and easy to relate to. Martha is trying to figure out who she is without her mother. Her mother was an exotic woman who loved to dance. Martha clings to a silk shawl she remembers her mother dancing with. The boys, Trout and Eel are full of wonder and I couldn’t wait to find out where they came from and who their real mother was.
This would be a good introduction to fantasy for a child who is used to reading only realistic fiction. Alice Hoffman has written another water tale called Aquamarine.
a_ab's review against another edition
4.0
Great modern fairytale about growing up in somewhat inhospitable places and circumstances.
laurieb755's review against another edition
4.0
Quick read that had me absorbed start to finish. Hoffman may explore fantasy but also the very real many sides of love and friendship. This is my third Hoffman book in a few days (and my fifth in a month), and it's easy to conclude that she has a strong interest in water and the life it holds, as both YA books - this and Aquamarine - harbor mermaids. As well, The Red Garden, completed just yesterday, included homage to sea life.
belly_puncher's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lealeab5's review against another edition
2.0
A very enthusiastic student recommended I read this book when she found out that I'd read other Alice Hoffman novels. This is the story of two brothers, "Trout" and "Eel", who live in Oak Grove, a town once devastated by a flood. The townsfolk have gone out of their way to prevent another tragedy of that sort, ensuring that their town the driest around. The boys are plagued by dreams of the past, and they long to see the ocean. Did I mention their webbed hands? Aided by their best friend, Martha, a girl running away from her own problems, the boys decide to make a run for the coast. What happens next changes the lives of everyone in Oak Grove. I enjoyed the basic premise of this book. The plot was predictable, but Hoffman's writing is delightfully descriptive, and this is a great fast read for young people (5th grade reading level).
amayarae45's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kmanderson327's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
remigves's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
marinapovoa's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Um livro muito sensível. Uma história muito linda.
bonus's review against another edition
3.0
Because he was younger he didn’t remember as much, awake or in his dreams. All he saw were the blue waves. Whoever was calling was so far out to sea, he couldn’t make out her face. The blue of everything was filling up his eyes, and his heart, and everything he had ever known.
🌊