Leaving Protection

April 12, 2004
Hobbs's (Far North
) nautical thriller brims with detail about the fishing life and weaves in historical facts as well. Sixteen-year-old Robbie leaves his family and their self-sufficient but poverty-bound home in Port Protection, Alaska, with hopes of becoming a deckhand on a salmon troller. Times are tough and the king salmon season brief, so Robbie cannot afford to be picky about any offers. He ends up aboard the Storm Petrel
with the gruff Tor, a "highliner" (successful fisherman) who has worked alone for as long as anyone can remember. But Robbie soon learns that while the captain is indeed interested in catching salmon, he is secretly even more interested in a series of antique Russian plaques that were buried around the periphery of Alaska to claim the land hundreds of years before. An over-long history lesson in the middle of the novel puts a temporary brake on the narrative impetus, but the pace picks up again when Tor's conflicted nature reveals itself more clearly. On the one hand, he is a sympathetic victim of circumstance; on the other, he appears willing to act ruthlessly to protect his own interests. Or could Robbie be misreading Tor entirely? Robbie's doubts build to a climactic finale involving a dramatic and fateful storm at sea, grippingly rendered. Fans of maritime tales will relish the atmosphere and the bursts of action. Ages 10-up.

August 1, 2012
Gr 7 Up-Robbie, 16, grew up on Alaska's Prince Wales Island. To earn money for his family, he wants to work as a deckhand during the short and very risky king salmon season to help his family. Robbie signs on with Tor Torsen and gets off on the wrong foot with the secretive and moody captain. Tension abounds, some created by Robbie's mistakes, some by the fact that he knows that Tor is searching for valuable historic metal plaques buried along the coastline by early Russian explorers. The descriptions of the Alaskan scenery, fishing, and the raging storm near the end of the story will draw listeners in and hold their attention. Charles Thurston's first-person narration of Will Hobbs's novel (HarperCollins, 2004) seems clipped at the beginning, but listeners will soon become accustomed to it and be drawn in by his voice changes and inflection as he alternates between Robbie and the gruff, moody, and enigmatic Tor. In addition to enjoying an exciting story, listeners will also learn a great deal about Alaskan history and salmon fishing. Gary Paulsen's fans will enjoy this tale.-"John R. Clark, Hartland Public Library, ME"

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