Overview
It's the summer of 1973 and fourteen year old Matt spends his days working on a boat as a clam digger to earn extra money. His nights are another story—he spends time with his free-spirited cousin Jazzy who is visiting from Hawaii (and just happens to be beautiful). Matt can't deny that his affection for Jazzy moves beyond a crush, and everyone knows you can't fall in love with your cousin. Just when Matt decides to act on his feelings, Jazzy does something that changes everything between them.
Like the one o'clock chop—the strong breeze that blows across the Long Island Sound—Matt's summer proves to be as inevitable as a force of nature. Told with pitch-perfect angst and realism, Ralph Fletcher tells a gripping story of a teenager's life-altering summer.
Synopsis
It s the summer of 1973 and fourteen year old Matt spends his days working on a boat as a clam digger to earn extra money. His nights are another story he spends time with his free-spirited cousin Jazzy who is visiting from Hawaii (and just happens to be beautiful). Matt can t deny that his affection for Jazzy moves beyond a crush, and everyone knows you can t fall in love with your cousin. Just when Matt decides to act on his feelings, Jazzy does something that changes everything between them.
Like the one o clock chop the strong breeze that blows across the Long Island Sound Matt s summer proves to be as inevitable as a force of nature. Told with pitch-perfect angst and realism, Ralph Fletcher tells a gripping story of a teenager s life-altering summer.
Children's Literature
History seems contemporary in this novel about a crush and near seduction, set in 1973. At fourteen, Matt is trying out his first full-time job as a clam digger and attempting to earn the respect of his new boss. Dan runs a tight ship, powered by the music of Jim Morrison and the Doors and his sea-faring desire to bring in a good load of clams. As Matt is toughening up on the job, he faces entirely different challenges from his beautiful cousin, Jazzy, who is visiting for the summer from Hawaii. The affection and attraction he feels for this worldly beauty is confusing; meanwhile, his mother seems oblivious to the magnetism occurring under her roof. When Jazzy plays fickle, Matt struggles with figuring out his role in her life and how much he should let her learn for herself. This coming-of-age story is breezy and fast-paced with enough suspense to keep teens reading. First love is never easy. Reading about how one young fisherman survived will offer hope for others lost in the same sea. Reviewer: Janice DeLong