Cover Image

Swim that rock

by Rocco, John,

Format: Print Book 2014
Availability: Available at 2 Libraries 2 of 2 copies

Available (2)
Location Collection Call #
Bethel Park Public Library Young Adult YA ROCCO John
Location  Bethel Park Public Library
 
Collection  Young Adult
 
Call Number  YA ROCCO John
 
 
Community Library of Allegheny Valley - Harrison Young Adult Fiction YA ROCCO
Location  Community Library of Allegheny Valley - Harrison
 
Collection  Young Adult Fiction
 
Call Number  YA ROCCO
 
 

Summary
A young working-class teen fights to save his family's diner after his father is lost in a fishing-boat accident.

When his dad goes missing in a fishing-boat accident, fourteen-year-old Jake refuses to think he may have lost his father forever. But suddenly, nothing seems certain in Jake's future, and now his family's diner may be repossessed by loan sharks. In Narragansett Bay, scrabbling out a living as a quahogger isn't easy, but with the help of some local clammers, Jake is determined to work hard and earn enough money to ensure his family's security and save the diner in time. Told with cinematic suspense and a true compassion for the characters, Swim That Rock is a fast-paced coming-of-age story that beautifully and evocatively captures the essence of coastal Rhode Island life, the struggles of blue-collar family dynamics, and the dreams of one boy to come into his own.
Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "Jake's dad is lost at sea, presumed dead. Unless Jake and his Valium-dulled mother can pay off a loan shark by the end of the month, they'll lose their cafe and be forced to leave for Arizona. Jake's desperate efforts to raise the money working by day as a picker on one quahogging boat and by night on another that harvests from polluted beds closed off by the Department of Environmental Management fall short. But thanks to the efforts of friends and his own act of kindness to an inexperienced quahogger, the debt is paid just in time. As a bonus, he finds that he has also worked his way past the worst of his grief and anger. A values-driven story developed around the tribulations and rewards of quahog harvesting seems unlikely to find a wide audience. However, Jake's willingness to work wicked hard on both sides of the law to remain part of his Narragansett Bay community is vividly conveyed for an interested audience. The coauthors incorporate autobiographical elements, which lend the tale's cast and setting a salty authenticity.--Peters, John Copyright 2014 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "Rocco (Blackout) and Primiano deliver a predictable but entertaining coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the New England fishing industry. In order to save his family's diner, 14-year-old Jake Cole needs to finish raising $10,000 by the end of the month, so he follows in his late father's footsteps as a quahogger, fishing up the profitable clams. While he also takes on some less-than-legal nighttime work with the shady "Captain," Jake's big chance seems poised to arrive with the opening of Barrington Beach, long closed due to pollution and one of the best quahog sites in the area. Can Jake balance quahogging by day and avoiding the "clam cops" at night, while growing closer to the lovely Darcy at the diner? Steeped in atmosphere and rich in detail, this adventure captures the salt in the air as well as the omnipresent ticking deadline. While the framework, if not the specifics, of the story are familiar, Jack's struggle is easily relatable thanks to deft characterizations and an overall sense of authenticity. Ages 12-up. Agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."

Additional Information
Subjects Families -- Fiction.
Quahoging -- Fiction.
Bildungsromans.
Young adult fiction.
Publisher Somerville, Massachusetts :Candlewick Press,2014
Edition First edition.
Contributors Primiano, Jay, author.
Language English
Description 293 pages : illustrations, map ; 22 cm
ISBN 9780763669058 (hardcover)
0763669059 (hardcover)
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