Twelve year old Samuel Beaman (Skiff) has several problems in his young life: his dad has become an alcoholic and a couch potato since the death of Skiff's mother, and he is bullied by rich boy Tyler Croft, who calls him Lobster Boy (along with a number of other less salubrious names). Skiff's dad has been a fisherman and a good one, but has lost the will to work, and Skiff must keep things going. He is a brave, tough and resourceful lad, and when the family boat, the Mary Rose, sinks, he is up to the task of getting her afloat again. This is a novel that will appeal particularly to boys, full of details about boats and also with a nail-biting adventure when Skiff goes off in his little 'skiff' to try to harpoon a big tuna to solve the family's money problems. The 'voice' of this story is pure Maine dialect, where the action takes place, and there is plenthy about Skiff's dad and his alcoholism as well as about his mum's death. He claims never to have cried since the day his mum died, but inside he hears her voice loud and clear, telling him what the do. The poisonous Tyler is a realistic bully who cuts the ropes on Skiff's lobster pots, thereby ruining his only means of making an income. This is a wonderfully descriptive novel with most of what is going on being described in the first person inside Skiff's head. If one must sometimes suspend disbelief a little, that in no way harms the narrative of what is an excellent yarn. And Skiff's dad shows signs of recovery in the end.