Book Review by Aarene Storms: Bluefish

By Aarene Storms,

Youth Services Librarian

Richmond Beach Library, KCLS

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

Travis is a loner at a new school in a new town. He figures it will be like the old place, except the old place had his dog Rosco and this place doesn't. To his surprise, the new school has a few things the old one didn't have, including a smart, loud-mouthed girl called Velveeta and a reading teacher who is not going to give up on Travis.

Read this book for the wonderful, complex characters and the complex relationships between each of them...and be ready to cheer in triumph at for at least one of them.

As Travis' grandpa would say, "no sex, no drugs. Only rock 'n roll." This book doesn't need any more than that!

Highly recommended for grades 6 and up.

The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern