Bristol Bay Summer

by Annie Boochever

Against the backdrop of the great Bristol Bay salmon fishery, thirteen-year-old Zoey Morley struggles with her parents’ divorce, her mom’s bush-pilot boyfriend, and the pangs of growing up during her summer in the “real” Alaska. Author Annie Boochever tells a compelling tale of a divided family living a remote lifestyle where getting along as a team is a matter of survival. Zoey learns to trust the artist inside her and finds she and her new friend Thomas have something in common. Readers will live the lessons learned and taught by this young girl who finds that hard work, compassion, and the ability to see things in her own special way lead her toward happiness in a place that at first seems just too far away.

Bristol Bay is the world’s largest  salmon fishery.
Teachers will like the fact that Bristol Bay Summer includes a map of Western Alaska and a glossary of colloquial expressions and fishing terms.
Offers a rare glimpse into an Alaskan fishing village’s way of life.

 

Genres: Realistic Fiction

258 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Amy Sandridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is probably for the reader of 9-12 years of age. I loved it. It had all the pieces of a perfect character building book - divorced, single mom, moves to Alaska with her two children. Very exciting and very well written.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read!

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had low expectations but this was surprisingly good. Having lived in King Salmon, this gives a great snapshot of the area and the fishing lifestyle.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun YA Alaskana book about Bristol Bay! I didn’t know much about the region prior to reading this and really enjoyed it.

[Literary Classics Book Awards & Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bristol Bay Summer, by Annie Boochever, is the story of a young girl who spends a summer in the "real Alaska" with her brother, mother and her mom's new boyfriend. Zoey Morely is twelve, going on thirteen and is still grieving the loss of a family that once was. She hasn't heard from her dad in nearly a year and now her mom's new boyfriend wants to drag them all out to live in tents in the wilderness at Bristol Bay.

When Zoey meets Thomas, a boy at the next camp over, she resents his new nick-name for her, city girl. But when she gets a job working for Thomas' family, she is determined to ditch her city girl image and prove that she can work just as hard as he can. Zoey is determined to make enough money to go see her father in Colorado in the hopes of finally learning why she hasn't heard from him in so long.

Author Annie Boochever has crafted a superb coming of age story that will resonate with young readers on many levels. Bristol Bay Summer offers a rare combination of adventure, drama and age appropriate romance, all presented in a highly plausible story. Boochever is a gifted story-teller who writes with a genuine voice and has tackled relevant issues of growing up and dealing with loss in this powerful and engaging preteen novel.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Admittedly, this story intrigued me quite a bit. A broken family moves to rural Alaska-- super rural Alaska and they work in the fishing industry for a summer. The geography of Alaska was one of the more intriguing parts of the story, but I still think this might be a bit too niche for teaching social studies. More like I could see this being used in language arts with mini-lessons on Alaska.

1/3

[Ali Marrs Stramilova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an action-packed young adult book about a teenaged girl's summer in Alaska. It has an exciting climax and it comes full circle in the young girl's personal journey with her broken family and the new experiences she has in Bristol Bay. I recommend this for upper elementary and middle school students.

[Sherri Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book. It really depicts life in the bush! Loved it!