Fast Hands

Gr 7 Up—After he is arrested for breaking into a yacht (the girl he's with, whose family owns the yacht, disappears when the police arrive), Gus Pedersen has the choice of going to juvenile detention or working on his uncle's fishing boat in Alaska. He chooses the fishing boat. Although the story is interesting enough and the setting realistic, the author throws around a lot of terminology unique to professional fishing without defining or explaining these terms, which is likely to frustrate most readers. The characters are in need of greater development and come across as stock figures. The historical setting is unclear; although it seems to be contemporary, a letter from Gus's friend is dated June 1975. These shortcomings perhaps could have been lessened had Fast Hands been longer and the characters and plot given more room to grow. It seems that this novel is directed toward reluctant readers, but it shortchanges them by providing only half the picture. A few line drawings are included, though they add little to the novel.—Nina Sachs, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME