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Fishtale
What might have been an ordinary fishing trip becomes an unforgettable adventure when twelve-year-old Sawyer Brown pursues a legendary giant catfish and a stolen ring that may hold the key to his mother’s life.
Sawyer’s family runs a catfish farm in rural Mississippi. When his widowed mom gets sick after a pond “cat” swallows her wedding ring, Sawyer is sure the missing ring is to blame. Strange clues and a local myth convince him that the pond cat has become a meal for a far more challenging catch. He sets out with two friends and his stowaway little sister to solve the secret of the ring.
Journeying deep into a remote bayou, the foursome must rely on their wits and each other to navigate the teeming swamp, outsmart a sneaky poacher, and overcome their differences in pursuit of a colossal catfish. But this is no ordinary fish. This is Ol’ One Eye—the biggest, oldest, smartest, and meanest darn cat that ever swam the Yazoo River! And before long, the adventurers aren’t sure who is chasing who.
This is a fish tale that readers won’t want to miss.
Sawyer’s family runs a catfish farm in rural Mississippi. When his widowed mom gets sick after a pond “cat” swallows her wedding ring, Sawyer is sure the missing ring is to blame. Strange clues and a local myth convince him that the pond cat has become a meal for a far more challenging catch. He sets out with two friends and his stowaway little sister to solve the secret of the ring.
Journeying deep into a remote bayou, the foursome must rely on their wits and each other to navigate the teeming swamp, outsmart a sneaky poacher, and overcome their differences in pursuit of a colossal catfish. But this is no ordinary fish. This is Ol’ One Eye—the biggest, oldest, smartest, and meanest darn cat that ever swam the Yazoo River! And before long, the adventurers aren’t sure who is chasing who.
This is a fish tale that readers won’t want to miss.
207 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2012
17 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Hans Bauer
99 books19 followersHans Bauer is the co-author of Fishtale, the Young Adult adventure novel that reached #4 on Amazon's Children’s Bestseller List, and for which he received the 2013 Austin Waldorf Children’s Choice Award. He is also the writer of Anaconda: The Writer’s Cut, his novelization of the popular Anaconda film franchise. His most recent books are the co-authored The Adventures of Mitch and Geo, Lil' Elvis (Just the Way He Was), and An American Christmas. He is also the editor of In the Beginning: Great Opening Lines From Your Favorite Books.
As a screenwriter, he has several additional films to his credit, including Titan A.E. The Flock, and Highwaymen.
Hans lives in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.
As a screenwriter, he has several additional films to his credit, including Titan A.E. The Flock, and Highwaymen.
Hans lives in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 1, 2013
Hm. Well, Fishtale is a little hard for me to rate. It's a children's chapter book, probably appropriate for kids between 3rd and 6th grade, so it wasn't as meaty as it could have been if it had been for older kids. As an adult who did not read this to a kid, I can't possibly begin to guess what kids might think of this book. I found the story to be decent, but I did feel like it was all a little bit "surface." There didn't seem to be much real depth to the emotions in this book, but absolutely, certainly, there could have been, so I think it was probably a conscious choice on the part of the author to keep this book from getting too deep and intense for kids. That's fine!
I see that other reviewers have compared this book to the movies Jaws and/or Goonies, and I think that's apt; it's a meshing of those two movies, I think, and that means that there's lots of excitement, peril, and some, "This is our time" moments. There's a bit of romance (in the magic sense, not the love sense) thrown in, and the "fish tale" element of Fishtale is strong. The reader is never quite 100 percent sure if the tale of Ol' One Eye is true or just fishermen's lore.
I see that other reviewers have compared this book to the movies Jaws and/or Goonies, and I think that's apt; it's a meshing of those two movies, I think, and that means that there's lots of excitement, peril, and some, "This is our time" moments. There's a bit of romance (in the magic sense, not the love sense) thrown in, and the "fish tale" element of Fishtale is strong. The reader is never quite 100 percent sure if the tale of Ol' One Eye is true or just fishermen's lore.
January 6, 2013
Once again I have bought a book on Kindle that I will need to now buy a hard copy of, because this is sure to be a hit with some of the boys and girls in my classes. Fishtale is just that. A fishtale. It is the story of three boys and one stowaway little sister who go in search of mythical Ol'One Eye, a catfish of monstrous proportions. For most it's with hopes of fame and fortune, but for Sawyer, the boy who came up with the plan, it's an attempt to save his mother's life by returning her wedding ring stolen by a catfish. Their trip takes them out onto the Yazoo River down in the Mississippi bayou where they encounter adventures, incredible finds, and a whole lot of danger. This book has the setting and mystery of The Underneath by Kathi Appelt and the excitement and suspense of Jaws by Peter Benchley.
November 6, 2017
Loved it
I love these kind of stories. American fairy tales. The story was about a brother, a sister, and three friends on an adventure to find magic to save their mother. To find this magic, they have to find Old One Eye, the giant catfish.
I love these kind of stories. American fairy tales. The story was about a brother, a sister, and three friends on an adventure to find magic to save their mother. To find this magic, they have to find Old One Eye, the giant catfish.
December 6, 2012
An entertaining tall tale in which a catfish plays the role of Moby Dick. The preposterous adventure grows more and more exciting as the story unfolds.
February 4, 2013
Set in the Mississippi Delta, our neighbor to the west, this is one action-packed tall tale. Who knew a catfish chase could get your heart pounding?
August 21, 2019
Too drawn out for kids; too boring for adults
My Full Review
My Full Review
December 26, 2014
Well, I love a good fish tale. So the cover drew me and I borrowed this from the library. I picked it up last night thinking I'd read it before returning it unless it was a dud. I didn't really mean to spend half a day reading it when I could have been getting things done. But there you go. Just finished it now and nothing done for the day.
This is not great literature. But it's a great fish story.
It reminded me of lots of things. 'Tom Sawyer' of course. The main character is called Sawyer, so that's probably deliberate; 'The Underneath' https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... because of its bayou setting and giant beasts under the water, (but that book really is great literature); 'The King of Slippery Falls' https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... because it's also a coming of age story with a great fish; but most of all it reminded me of the film 'Stand by Me' based on Stephen King's novella The Body http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Body.... Oh, and it also reminded me at a few key moments of Jaws!
It's not surprising it reminded me of a couple of films, because one of the authors is a screenwriter, and sometimes that spoiled the read for me, when a clichéd American film scene came leaping into my head from the style of telling, and the style of dialogue. But that aside, it has the gripping style of a thriller film, and hence may prove completely engrossing to a lot of young readers. I'm going to see if either of my boys will read it. Once they get to the action scenes, I'm guessing it would be torches under the bedclothes until it's over.
Small gripe... (well for me it's sacrilege, for many others it's a minor gripe perhaps)... the map. That crucial and wonderful map that sets the scene... why, oh why wouldn't you employ a decent illustrator to draw one up instead of getting some ninny on a computer to mock one up in such a cheap fashion? It wouldn't even be difficult for a non illustrator to do a better job of this! That goes for Elvira's 'gone fishing' note as well. The other chapter head illustrations are good, albeit framed with daggy computer feathered edges. Seems like they lacked a decent book designer or art director.
This is not great literature. But it's a great fish story.
It reminded me of lots of things. 'Tom Sawyer' of course. The main character is called Sawyer, so that's probably deliberate; 'The Underneath' https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... because of its bayou setting and giant beasts under the water, (but that book really is great literature); 'The King of Slippery Falls' https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... because it's also a coming of age story with a great fish; but most of all it reminded me of the film 'Stand by Me' based on Stephen King's novella The Body http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Body.... Oh, and it also reminded me at a few key moments of Jaws!
It's not surprising it reminded me of a couple of films, because one of the authors is a screenwriter, and sometimes that spoiled the read for me, when a clichéd American film scene came leaping into my head from the style of telling, and the style of dialogue. But that aside, it has the gripping style of a thriller film, and hence may prove completely engrossing to a lot of young readers. I'm going to see if either of my boys will read it. Once they get to the action scenes, I'm guessing it would be torches under the bedclothes until it's over.
Small gripe... (well for me it's sacrilege, for many others it's a minor gripe perhaps)... the map. That crucial and wonderful map that sets the scene... why, oh why wouldn't you employ a decent illustrator to draw one up instead of getting some ninny on a computer to mock one up in such a cheap fashion? It wouldn't even be difficult for a non illustrator to do a better job of this! That goes for Elvira's 'gone fishing' note as well. The other chapter head illustrations are good, albeit framed with daggy computer feathered edges. Seems like they lacked a decent book designer or art director.
September 18, 2014
As a city kid I always kind of envied the kids in books who lived in small towns and could just go camping and fishing when their chores were finished - kind of like this one. Twelve-year old Sawyer Brown's father was killed in Vietnam and he has to step up and help his mother run the family catfish farm. But when she loses her wedding ring and subsequently becomes ill, Sawyer sets out to find it thinking it will make her well again. Together with his best friend "Nose," his hippie cousin Truman (who brings an accordian with him), and his little sister "Virus" (Elvira) who sneaks into their boat, they look for Ol' One Eye, "the biggest, oldest, smartest, and meanest durn cat that ever swum the Yazoo." Following a map they get from old Moses (Nose's grandfather), they have an adventure paddling around the Mississippi swamps and bayous looking for the giant catfish, which might just be a legend... or maybe just one of Moses' tall tales.
Although the book was a little weak on how Sawyer decided Ol' One Eye had the ring, it's a fun read as the kids face backwoods poachers and find flooded mansions and old paddle boats forgotten and rotting in the swamp. The Southern dialect lends atmosphere to the Mississippi setting and it's a lot like some of the books I enjoyed so much as a kid where kids roam a lot freer than nowadays. (And it reminded me a lot of one of those forgotten favorites from my childhood: It Started With Old Man Bean by David Kherdian.)
Although the book was a little weak on how Sawyer decided Ol' One Eye had the ring, it's a fun read as the kids face backwoods poachers and find flooded mansions and old paddle boats forgotten and rotting in the swamp. The Southern dialect lends atmosphere to the Mississippi setting and it's a lot like some of the books I enjoyed so much as a kid where kids roam a lot freer than nowadays. (And it reminded me a lot of one of those forgotten favorites from my childhood: It Started With Old Man Bean by David Kherdian.)
December 10, 2012
From the first chapter, Fishtale had me hooked. In the first chapter, the reader gets introduced to Elvira, the curator at the catfish museum. She has what she thinks is the greatest fishing story ever told. The story is about the time her, her brother, and her friends tried to catch the worlds biggest catfish, Ol’ One Eye. Also, they are trying to get back Elvira’s mom's wedding ring so she can get better. The plot was one crazy thrill ride after another. There was never a dull moment where I thought to myself ‘I should put this book down and do something fun’. Reading the book was fun. Just when the kids got into one crazy adventure that you think they aren’t going to get out of, they survive it and get into even crazier adventures. The characters were all beautifully written . My favorite character was Elvira. Even though she was with all guys, she held her own. She didn’t take any crap from the boys. Even though she was quite a bit younger than them, she became quite a valuable member to their adventure. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were a good idea. Not only did they give clues as to what was going to happen, but they helped to visualize the world the author created more accurately. I will definitely be reading more of the author's work in the future.
October 20, 2013
The book cover of this book totally pulled me in - 4 kids in a small row boat and a half of a big white fish and a tree branch with spanish moss hanging down.
This was a fun read from start to finish and a quick read at that. I couldn't put it down. I started it thinking I'd read 2-3 chapters and the next thing I was half-way through it. Well, why stop then. Anything I would have done sooner could wait that bit longer for me to finish :)
Elvira Brown, her brother Sawyer, his friend Nose, and their cousin Truman are a fun bunch to be around. I thought the first three were a bit more rounded out than the cousin. Then there is Mrs. Brown who was a bit of a cliche and Nose's grandfather who was the grandfather you'd want in any book or family.
But their adventure is fun with just the right amount of daring and danger. I would definitely follow more escapades with this group.
This was a fun read from start to finish and a quick read at that. I couldn't put it down. I started it thinking I'd read 2-3 chapters and the next thing I was half-way through it. Well, why stop then. Anything I would have done sooner could wait that bit longer for me to finish :)
Elvira Brown, her brother Sawyer, his friend Nose, and their cousin Truman are a fun bunch to be around. I thought the first three were a bit more rounded out than the cousin. Then there is Mrs. Brown who was a bit of a cliche and Nose's grandfather who was the grandfather you'd want in any book or family.
But their adventure is fun with just the right amount of daring and danger. I would definitely follow more escapades with this group.
January 10, 2016
What a fish tale!!! ;-) This was a great fast read. Definitely perfect for grade school kids and adults alike who all enjoy a fun fantastical read.
Four kids set off on a journey to get back Sawyer and Elvira's mom's wedding ring that was snatched off her finger by ol' one eye, the giant catfish. On their adventure they learn to help each other by working together, forgive, and believe in the unbelievable.
I really enjoyed seeing where this tale would go and how big it could get. I admit I started out reading more as a review for my children but got hooked, line and sinker, from the very beginning. This is definitely the story for children who enjoy fun, quirky and fishy reads.
A must read for children, and adults who are kids at heart or who have ever shared their own fishtale.
Happy Reading!!!
Four kids set off on a journey to get back Sawyer and Elvira's mom's wedding ring that was snatched off her finger by ol' one eye, the giant catfish. On their adventure they learn to help each other by working together, forgive, and believe in the unbelievable.
I really enjoyed seeing where this tale would go and how big it could get. I admit I started out reading more as a review for my children but got hooked, line and sinker, from the very beginning. This is definitely the story for children who enjoy fun, quirky and fishy reads.
A must read for children, and adults who are kids at heart or who have ever shared their own fishtale.
Happy Reading!!!
May 29, 2013
What a great story! Elvira, a smart pistol of a girl, tells the wild tale of she, her brother, and a couple of friends fishing for Ol' One-Eye, a legendary giant catfish with a supernatural bent. Part fish-story, part ghost story, part tall tale, part old-fashioned high adventure, and part redemption tale, this story set in rural Mississippi is exciting and thought-provoking. The narrator does a good job with the accents. I find that I like using audio books when an accent is going to add to the authenticity of the story.
January 23, 2016
I loved this book and had trouble putting it down. It is targeted towards elementary school kids. Two kids have a mother who gets sick after a catfish bites off her wedding ring. They realize the only way to save her is to find the one eyed catfish that took it and get it back. They take this journey with two friends and search the bayou for the catfish. As an adult, you'll read through this book very quickly.
March 20, 2014
Once you've hooked, played, and landed a sizable fish, it changes you. The same is true for floating quietly in a canoe, pirogue, or rowboat through magical quiet natural worlds. This tale transported me back to both of those experiences with a good dose of the family and friend dramas kids will relate to. Fantastical and pure fun.
July 14, 2016
To me to start it out super charming and exciting and then... something happened. It became more difficult to keep track of the plotline and some of the characters got a bit extreme and I started to realize I was looking at the clock and checking how many pages I had left. But then, magically!, the end wrapped up in this book in the adorable way it had started. So that's nice. :-)
December 4, 2012
A really fun read. I wanted it to be longer and the characters could have used it so their backgrounds were fleshed out more. The southern aspect to it was done well so I didn't feel like banging my head against the wall.
January 21, 2013
Maybe I was a bit doubtful at how this book would turn out, but I shouldn't have been. A couple times I was confused as to how One Eye got everywhere, but that isn't too consequential. I completely forgot about how Vi was in an interview.
April 12, 2013
I asked my son how many stars this book deserves. "Since it's really awesome, I would say 20!" In my opinion, the book is a bit too slow to stick with. If I was reading it for myself, I would have given up. But he loves it and that's what counts in read alouds!
October 31, 2013
A classic hero's journey that just happens to involve four kids hunting a giant catfish. The author's screenwriter background is quite evident - this would make a great movie. A really charming, exciting tale.
January 20, 2013
Whopper of a good story! A group of kids set off in search of the great one-eyed catfish and get into some really unusual circumstances. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys reading.
Read
May 30, 2013good adventure story for boys or girls
March 19, 2013
Tall tale full of action, adventure and humor. Great book for boys and great read aloud.
May 27, 2013
Great Kids Book!
July 22, 2013
I really liked the idea and the way the book was written. would recommend!
February 9, 2014
I was listening to this on audio and loved the beginning then kind of lost interest. Maybe another time. DNF.
January 30, 2017
Three 12-year-old boys+a 9-year-old girl+a legend+a missing rig+an (almost) impossible goal= a fishing trip they would never forget.
November 12, 2018
it was good
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews