RUN OF THE SEA WITCH

by Dorothy B. Francis ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1978

The cardboard crew aboard the Sea Witch, the Kulpeppers' shrimp boat which sails out of Key West, are Grandpa ""Kully,"" a grizzly old sea dog down to his heart tattoo inscribed to mother; Dad or ""Big Mike,"" all rippling muscles and tight-lipped smiles; older brother ""Pepper"" who says ""Yo!"" a lot and walks like Popeye; and 12-year-old Donald who's out on his first run and none too happy about it since Mom has ""just picked up and took off"" with ""Uncle"" Jake. Klutzy and landlubberly, Donald suffers a konk on the head from a flying fish, a bout or two of mal de mer, and even a brief dip in the drink when a sudden squall tosses him overboard. But after only a few days of hard work and hearty meals, Donald undergoes the mandatory sea change--gaining self-confidence, relinquishing Mom to the past, and even earning the nickname of ""Don"" which Francis sees as some sort of badge of he-manly merit. Obvious and overstated, this is no more than a mishmash of planted information on shrimp trawling and marine life plus almost every nautical clichÉ you've ever heard.

Pub Date: March 1, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Abingdon

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1978

Categories: FICTION