Fishtale

These REVIEWS are for the NOVELIZATION.

Bauer (the screenwriter behind Anaconda, Titan A.E., and other films) and Masciola debut with a story that pairs the childhood camaraderie and adventure of The Goonies with an atmospheric Mississippi Delta setting. Sawyer Brown, 12, is a devoted fisherman who lives with his widowed mother and younger sister, Elvira, on a catfish farm. When Sawyer’s mother falls ill after losing her wedding ring to a catfish, Sawyer is sure that retrieving the ring will save her—and save Elvira and himself from having to move in with his Aunt Sarah and know-it-all cousin, Truman. A longtime local, Moses, points Sawyer and his crew in the direction of Ol’ One Eye, the “biggest, oldest, smartest, and meanest durn cat that ever swum the Yazoo,” enticing them with the lure of treasure—maybe even a miracle. “Way I see it,” Moses tells Sawyer, “if you can catch that one-eyed monster, there ain’t nothin’ in life that can lick ya.” A persuasive Southern dialect, bits of cornball humor, and a dash of magic combine in a charming, larger-than-life fish story. Ages 10–up. Publisher's Weekly

“Imagine a far gentler Jaws for the middle-grade set and you’ll have a sense of this good-natured debut. In a Mississippi community rife with catfish farms, local legend holds it that the Yazoo River contains a creature called Ol’ One Eye—a two-hundred-pound albino catfish with whiskers as long as your arm. When 12-year-old Sawyer’s mother takes ill following the wartime death of her husband, Sawyer desperately clings to what one local resident calls “Catfish Time,” those moments during fishing when “miracles can happen.” So with his sister, cousin, and friend in tow, Sawyer strikes off to find Ol’ One Eye and the pile of treasure it supposedly guards in its nest—including, Sawyer hopes, his mother’s missing wedding ring, which may hold the key to her health. With its amiable yesteryear setting, magical realism, and tall-tale elements, this has the feel of an oft-told folktale that has been sitting around for years waiting for readers to find it. Exciting in parts, but primarily this is a poignant tale of holding on to hope.”
--Booklist

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 Reviews

When Sawyer’s mother falls ill after a catfish manages to steal her wedding ring, the 12-year-old gets it into his head that the key to her health is recovering the ring. Sawyer sets out on an adventure with his buddy Nose, cousin Truman, and stowaway sister Elvira to capture the mystical monster catfish, Ol’ One Eye, in the hopes that the “cat” has hidden the ring with its purported treasure. Ol’ One Eye and the four fishers play a tremendous game of cat and mouse that leads all around the eerie swamp. Along the way they encounter flooded mansions, poachers, and a dilapidated boat, all the while hoping that the magical “Catfish time” will be real and provide this motley crew with the answers they need. With quick pacing, detailed description, creepy settings, and magical realism, Bauer and Masciola have woven a tale almost too tall to be believed. The congenial tone with which the story is told lends a feeling of friends swapping stories.
School Library Journal

“...With its amiable yesteryear setting, magical realism, and tall-tale elements, Fishtale has the feel of an oft-told folktale that has been sitting around for years waiting for readers to find it. Exciting... poignant tale of holding on to hope.”
--American Library Association