Handliner's Island

Seasoned tale-spinner Arthur Mayse has combined a vivid setting with an involving and suspenseful plot, and the result is a classic juvenile book and a memorable west coast story. Fourteen-year-old Paddy sets out to make the money handlining off the coast of British Columbia, and finds it a more daunting prospect than he thought. Setting up camp on a small offshore island - once a burial ground and now the occasional haven for poachers-he and his KwagewIth friend Mayus learn the nuances of the ocean as they wait for the late summer - and the annual coho run. They get some guidance from a girl named Lynn, a skilled handliner, but as they find out, catching the fish may be the least of their problems